Any army in the world, no matter how professional it is, has one significant drawback: soldiers have the ability to grow old, lose skills and even die, which, of course, reduces combat effectiveness. Robots are devoid of almost all of these shortcomings (well, except perhaps for complete destruction), so the question of "calling" robots into service was only a matter of time. And very soon South Korea will replace humans with robots.
This statement was recently made by the country's Defense Minister Son Yong Mu. According to the statement, the first "mixed" units, which will consist of both robots and humans, will enter service in the South Korean army from 2024. Over time, with the success of the initial venture, the number of robots will only grow. Such a move is associated not so much with the desire to be at the forefront of progress, but with a sharp decline in the country's population, a demographic pit, and, accordingly, with a decrease in the number of soldiers. At the first stage, according to experts, reconnaissance robots will replace about 600 soldiers, and the use of autonomous combat vehicles will increase this figure to 2500-3000.
It is worth noting that South Korea is not the first country to introduce robotic technology into its ranks. For a long time, the United States practically does not use "human labor" for intelligence purposes, preferring unmanned aerial vehicles. Also, the US Air Force has adopted a system that allows drones to destroy enemy drones, and the UK is even beginning to introduce artificial intelligence into the military sphere.
Vladimir Kuznetsov