IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2017 - 69

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Philip Hall

Implantable
Technologies in the
Military Sector

These remarks were delivered at
the close of the 9th Workshop on
the Social Implications of National
Security (SINS16), Melbourne, Australia, July 12, 2016.
e have heard and re-
flected here at the
9th Workshop on the
Social Implications
of National Security
(SINS16), on a diverse range of issues,
presented by an excellent array of
speakers, from Prof. R.E. Burnett's
insightful presentation on human
information appliance schema, Prof.
Donna Dulo's visionary quandary of
"NanoTech and the Military: National
Threat or National Security?," to con-
sidering some of the non-technical
aspects of our subject as presented
by Dr. Rain Liivoja in his informative
talk on "Implantable Technologies
in the Armed Forces: Some Inter-
national Law Considerations," Tim
McFarland's searching presentation
on "Can Implants Be Weapons Under
the Law?," and the challenging views
of Dr. Rob Nicholls on "Implanting
Military Rights and Wrongs." My com-
ments here by no means detract from
the valuable contributions of the
other speakers not mentioned.
As to my own thoughts, I question if
technology has progressed to the point
where the human condition is now the
limiting factor - physically and psy-
chologically. I recall a presentation

W

I attended here in 2014 by Prof.
mentality, which may manifest
David Forbes, Director of the Phoe-
itself in unintended reckless or care-
nix Australia Center for Post-traumat-
less behavior. Both of these condi-
ic Mental Health, where he
presented post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) as
a significant factor for U.S.
Air Force pilots conduct-
I question if technology has
ing drone operations. We
discussed then whether the
progressed to the point where
human-in-the-loop
could
the human condition is now the
become the limiting factor
in such operations. Reflect-
limiting factor - physically and
ing on that discussion in the
context of this Workshop,
psychologically.
I suggest we are facing the
emergence of a new condi-
tion, which I call "cognizant stress
tions are symbolic of how human
disorder" (CSD) - the fear of an
thought processes might react to
expectation to perform, or of the
a host being "enhanced" by an
unknown effects, as a direct result
implantable technology.
of being fitted with an implant-
So I question, are we about to go -
able technology. This of course
or have we already gone - beyond
is directly opposite to the alter-ego
what we refer to as C3 - Command,
possibility that the "host" takes on a
Control and Communications? I sug-
state of "invincibleality" [my word],
gest we are fast approaching C9
or a "superhero" (i.e., invincible)
or greater. Let us consider a C9

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2017.2654285
Date of publication: 6 March 2017

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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

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