In the future, warfare may be much different because of nuclear weapons and advancements in technology. Many different devices could be used to gather information, and fewer people would be required to fight. It is possible that there would be no hand-to-hand combat, just scouting teams that would determine vulnerable targets; then missiles would be launched at those locations. If combat was required, soldiers could be provided with current maps of their situation including troop positions on a heads-up display. This is a display in the helmet of a soldier that displays any type of information. With just a glance upward, the person can learn whatever is displayed currently. Unmanned ships may be sent out into the ocean with many, many nuclear missiles. This would put no humans in danger and would give many advantages to the country in control of the submarine (Newman 34-41).
The best course for all countries would be to reduce the amount and size of nuclear weapons. There is no point in destroying the entire world in a nuclear war; therefore the United States must strive for nuclear arms reductions. However, it would be disastrous for countries to reduce their nuclear arms alone, because they might very well be destroyed on account of their inability to fight back. For situations like the bombing of Hiroshima where more people would be killed in an attack that in an atomic bombing, it is correct to launch nuclear weapons at the country if the bomb is likely to cause them to surrender.
There is no way to predict for sure whether or not there will be nuclear war in the future, yet it will probably never happen. A nuclear war would be so destructive to all of the countries involved that it would not be worth getting into one. If bombs are used, it will most likely be against countries that do not have nuclear capabilities or allies that have them, and in situations where an invasion would cause great loss of life for both countries. This is what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, in situations like that in Bosnia, nuclear bombs are not useful because both parties occupy the same general areas, and nuclear bombs destroy a larger area than necessary. A good understanding and analysis of the events in the past and present is the best way to predict what decisions in the future will create a better, safer world for everyone.
Beyer, Don E. The Manhattan Project. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Bruckner, Karl. The Day of the Bomb. Princeton, NJ: D. Van. Nostrand, 1961.
Fission Principles. Online. Internet. 10 Oct. 1996.
Grey, Ronald William. U.S. Freefall Bombs and Nuclear Warhead Designations 1943-
1989. Online. Internet. 4 Nov. 1996.
Hellinger, Daniel. Telephone Interview. 21 Oct. 1996.
Newman, Richard J. “Special Report: Warfare 2020.” U.S. News and World Report
5 Aug. 1996: 34-41.
“The Nuclear FAQ.” Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science 1996. Online.
Internet. 20 Oct. 1996.
Blair, Clay Jr. and Shepley, James R. The Hydrogen Bomb: The Men, The Menace, The
Mechanism. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1954.
Stine, G. Harry. ICBM: The Making of the Weapon that Changed the World. New
York, NY: Orion Books, 1991.
“Test Ban: Not For All.” The Economist 14 Sept. 1996.