In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO forces have increased their presence in the Baltic states. In addition to a growing number of soldiers, combat robots have now also been spotted in Lithuania – for testing purposes and not as part of NATO forces, emphasizes the Dutch army, which owns the four machines. The mission is under direct Russian observation.
Combat robots, which are equipped with advanced image recognition and AI systems and can fire at targets remotely or without human intervention, are controversial: many countries, including Austria, are calling for a ban on such weapons. The Dutch army is now the first Western armed forces to test combat robots in the EU state of Lithuania.
“You’ve never seen anything like it in the West”
Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd Mevissers, commander of the Robotic and Autonomous Systems unit within the Dutch armed forces, confirms in a conversation with the weapons magazine Janes: “We used four armed unmanned machines in an operational experiment. As far as I know, nothing like this has ever been seen in the West.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
