Editor’s note: Anthony LoBaido has long-tracked the development of “super soldiers” – augmented humans featuring superhuman abilities. In this three-article series, he delves into their background, capabilities, the current research going on in China, how super soldiers might be used and countered, as well as desirable traits for super soldiers that might be found in top athletes and within the animal kingdom.
This series is an abbreviated version of a 16,000-word original white paper. Contact LoBaido to read the entire work: [email protected].
Read Part 1: “The unsettling future of enhanced warfare”
Super soldiers and AI are now at a point where science fiction is becoming the scientific reality of the present. Moving forward, the U.S. will need to rise above structural risk aversion, streamline acquisition pipelines and leverage the agility of relevant commercial sectors – this while being grounded with clarity that China (and other societies) developing super soldiers may not feature the same ethical constrains.
Linking biological intelligence with AI might be the Holy Grail for super soldier R&D. Read about it here. As for China and its military – they claim biotechnology is the next strategic commanding height. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has resolutely declared, “In circumstances of increasingly intense global military competition, only the innovators win.”
What is China doing in terms of R&D for super soldiers? Echoing Sun Tzu, the People’s Liberation Army might argue, “Every battle is won before it is ever fought.” R&D is a true cornerstone for the PLA.
China’s “intelligentization” strategy boasts a “one body, two wings” approach. It utilizes laboratories like the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), along with commercial entities like NeuroXess to push the envelope of the “China Brain Project,” along with brain-machine interfaces or “BCIs.”
In terms of national super soldiers recruitment, China might resort to a bio-bank of elite super children. Read about it here, here and here.
Russia could rely upon loyal post-KGB “ghost” elites, penal colonies, intelligence network pools, spies and double agents, pardons, coercion and / or rewards. Could the use of super soldiers by a state actor against another state – in an act which threatens the existence of that state – lead to nuclear war?
Consider super soldiers recruited / programmed to carry out a covert attack similar to the plot of the hit CBS TV series “Jericho.” Watch it here. Watch another scenario here, on the most expensive movie set ever built by Hollywood through 1983 – for the climactic scene of the remarkable nuclear war film “Wargames.”
To select and build their own cadre of super soldiers, North Korea might rely on ideological breeding, their rigid songbun internal castes and / or isolation tracing back to early childhood. (If North Korea and South Korea reunite, these kinds of recruiting scenarios could change.)
As opposed to China and North Korea, the U.S. will likely rely upon voluntary super soldiers integrated into the national program of DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
Chinese and North Korean soldiers specially selected since childhood could – in adulthood – feature unnatural muscle density, hypoxia tolerances and fear responses that are artificially blunted.
The U.K. will likely rely on SAS Special Forces and others to come forward as potential super soldiers in and of their own free will.
However super soldiers are recruited and trained, each potential individual candidate will likely share the following traits: a low systemic inflammatory baseline for biocompatibility for implants, neuroplasticity, being well-suited for technological modification and a high cognitive layering capacity.
China’s research in neural engineering, cognitive stimulants, synthetic biology, bio-materials, bio-sensing and gene editing is state-of-the art. China can boast of breakthroughs in human-machine interaction, hybrid intelligence and brain-machine interface. Quantum technology, brain science, biotechnology and AI autonomy are also emerging factors.
The PLA’s super soldiers could be enhanced by drug cocktails, neuro-engineering, neuro-stimulation and (as noted above) gene editing concepts. Brain-to-brain communication might actually become a reality.
Some wonder if China et al. are working on ethnic-specific genetic weapons. If so, could exotic weapons be tested in Tibet, Ukraine or Gaza – the latter along with AI systems like Lavender and The Gospel.
In popular culture, the hit Fox TV show “Prison Break” used Laos as a testing ground for secretive intrigue.
Some believe that super soldiers are purely evil. The late Russ Dizdar spoke on this topic here, here and here. There are those who feel the new tech paradigm is a dystopian anti-human death cult, and that it’s best to avoid using AI or even to ask chatbots questions. Whitney Webb takes her swing at data centers here.
Some ask if primates are being used to help develop super soldiers, and thus how to protect monkeys as God’s creatures. International genetic protocols for all nations have been floated as a way to protect primates. Animal welfare in U.S. research labs is discussed here. The Animal Welfare Act is detailed here. Bonnie, the late and brave American space monkey, is fondly remembered here.
Take a look at the (China) Transgenic Human-Gene Study of Monkeys here. MIT Technology Review discusses China putting genes from human brains into monkeys here. MIT denotes primate visual and prefontal networks are being mapped for improvement in AI and neural interfaces – read about it here.
You can read up on the ethical implications of genetically altered non-human primates for biomedical research here. A comprehensive guide with links to China’s military journals can be found here.
War as the domain of consciousness
The trenches of World War I may forever be replaced by the synapses of the human brain, as biology is weaponized. Through cognitive science and AI, we are rapidly approaching the point where the safest and most secure nation is not the one featuring the bravest soldiers, but the one with the best scientists.
As noted, for China, the human brain, in regard to mental and biological dominance, is vital to national security. The AMMS and the China Brain Project (2016–2030) seek to merge human intelligence with machine learning.
One of the goals is human-machine hybrid intelligence. Non-invasive brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) and targeted neurostimulation may one day allow scientists to bypass traditional controls and enable Chinese soldiers to command drone swarms and analyze satellite telemetry directly with their thoughts.
The Chinese have a word for the “domain of consciousness” – “yishi.” To assist their super soldiers, Chinese researchers may also seek to unlock the secrets behind the biological mechanics of stress, problems with spatial orientation and decision-making fatigue.
How will this impact U.S. super soldiers and the its Special Forces? One possibility is that they could face distortions in their sensory perceptions in the field. Delays in decision-making could occur as they lose spatial awareness. Chinese operators – or the scientists behind them – could thus force U.S. Special Ops into errors.
This game of cat and mouse requires DARPA to work under strict ethical and legal frameworks, while China will engage in military-civilian fusion. DARPA will research exoskeletons, restorative medicine, better sleep and monitoring human physiology. China will also focus on human-machine paring, gene editing through CRISPR, as well as brain science.
The Pentagon will seek to keep U.S. SOF safe and effective. China will likely ask, “How do we push the envelope of human cognition to equal the speed of AI and machines?”
The legal norms from previous generations and centuries (and Christianity) will provide a check on the development of super soldiers in the West. In the both U.S. and the U.K., genetic and neural modification would be voluntary. Again, China, Russia and North Korea might not be burdened by these same mores.
The U.S. does possess a superior open market ecosystem to draw upon. The Pentagon could set up highly-advanced synthetic training environments, invent advanced algorithmic decision support tools to assist with the OODA (“Observe, Orient, Decide, Act”) loop, and steadily increase its abilities to monitor the cognitive state of its soldiers.
The OODA model of decision-making was birthed back in the 1970s by John Boyd, a U.S. Air Force colonel. It shepherds Special Forces as they process information and then act upon it while in combat. OODA enables and encourages quick and constantly adapting responses to changing conditions in the field.
Observing includes gathering information about the enemy, the terrain, defensive positions and also offensive-friendly positions. Orientation involves a cocktail of the mission parameters, intelligence gathering, considering the operator’s previous experiences, (with preconceived biases) and then creating a mental map of the op in real time.
(Fans of TV’s “Burn Notice” may recall the star of the show, a former U.S. SOF soldier and CIA agent, taking his girlfriend, Fiona, and his mother along on many of the ops – despite how this complicated matters.)
Observations in turn lead to decisions in the field based upon the orientation. To “act” means to execute the decisions and take bold actions. Then the whole loop starts all over again, this time further informed by the previous steps. SOF ops are often unpredictable. The tempo is quick. SOF operators must out-think their opponents in the field, and do so quickly, this as they adapt and integrate the new feedback.
Perception and situational awareness are major keys while the clock is ticking and stress mounts. Let’s now consider the rescue of a downed pilot behind enemy lines. U.S. SOF will send out recon drones and ground teams. They will detect the pilot and formulate the status of his or her condition. They will locate the position of the enemy. They’ll consider the weather. Then comes the insertion of Special Forces to extract the pilot. (Think of the climactic rescue in the film “Proof of Life,” starring Russell Crowe.)
The PLA’s SOF and super soldiers will want to deconstruct the OODA and prevent the extraction of the downed U.S. pilot in Iran, Yemen or North Korea (re: “Top Gun Maverick”) – perhaps by using AI-generated information overload, the weaponization of neurosciences and using intelligence assets on the ground.
In the future, victory could be decided by the team of super soldiers that can process the greatest amount of information in the shortest time frame – and do so while under attack from AI-generated interference.
In the macro sense, the PLA’s approach to Cognitive Domain Warfare, (认知域作战) as well as Systems Destruction Warfare, may well see them interdict the aforementioned “OODA” processes of U.S. SOF. The great unknown is which side will adapt to AI and utilize it best. The battlefield of tomorrow may not be the mountains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Yemen. Rather, it is the human mind in and of itself.
China and the PLA feature synergistic leadership – as China’s innovators, college students, labs and universities can work hand-in-glove to feed into the PLA. AI, neuroscience and advanced biology are all shepherded to the PLA under the Central Military Science and Technology Commission. Dual-use fields, like BCI’s, AI and genomics share their IP, data and research breakthroughs with the PLA. In the United States, research might be more silo-ed. Consider the elite Defense Innovation Unit at DARPA. Acquisition is known as “the valley of death.” Who gains access to the Department of War and how?
China’s military-civil fusion (MCF, 军民融合) offers a way to streamline commercial enterprises, academic research and military utility. In the U.S., it is true civilian startups that can be born, rise to prominence and help DARPA and the Pentagon. Yet rigid defense acquisition networks need to be navigated. New stakeholders require an introduction the power hierarchy matrix.
As an aside, 30 U.S. universities were cited for having strong ties to Chinese research labs. Read of it here.
The U.S. could try to optimize de facto decision-making networks rather than building a real super soldier biologically via transhumanistic enhancements. AI and cognitive resilience would be a big part of the U.S. approach. America and the West would have to out-innovate China. Yet China could simply pilfer the innovations it might covet from DARPA, from U.S. startups and other ancillary stakeholders.
Caveats exist for the U.S., which lacks a strategic framework for many complex issues. For super soldiers, this includes human dignity, building a resilient warfighter, setting up a thriving ecosystem for research and acquisition, along with maintaining an ethical framework for neurotechnology and genetic editing.
Leveraging research for super soldiers and enhancing their performance is vital for China and the U.S. stakeholders in both nations can engage in precision medicine for cognitive enhancement in regard to civilian genetic studies aimed at curing neurodegenerative diseases. Then military biochemists can study this same data and research to identify genetic markers associated with physical strength, extreme endurance, sleep-deprivation resistance as well as advanced and heightened cognitive processing.
Genomic data harvesting from commercial genomics firms are fertile soil in China. It offers raw material for deep-learning models mapping human cognitive baselines. And it might pave the way for boutique, targeted cognitive degradation strategies to one day be wielded against China’s peer-level adversaries.
The Beijing Genomics Institute possesses a plethora of human genomic data. AI architecture can sift genetic repositories to begin understanding, expanding and pushing human potential. Intelligence and resilience markers are the keys – as algorithms can scan for genetic outliers associated with exceptional cognitive processing speeds, high-altitude oxygen efficiency, (the war on the Saichen Glacier) and bone density traits. China places a training emphasis on fighting at high attitude and dealing with cold water.
China’s leaders feel they possess an historic opportunity to race past the U.S. as the world’s top military power. The PLA has a “first-mover advantage” in emerging technologies. AI-driven human-machine hybrid intelligence is the future of command and control, as human cognition will be merged with BMI’s.
China’s aforementioned “National Brain Project” will likely play a role for the PLA. R&D for the PLA’s cognitive warfare will focus on a troika of topics, including a) mental / cognitive dominance (制脑权), b) intelligence dominance (制智权) and c) biological dominance (制生权.) Cognitive dominance involves moving the combat space into the human brain by attacking – through neurocognitive stress – an opponent’s will to fight.
China can also monitor real-time brain states under stress so as to more easily enable the development of bidirectional, closed loop neural command systems – a system where biological thoughts are smoothly translated to machine execution – like launching and commanding a drone swarm on an enemy target.
High-stress deployments for super soldiers (on all sides) may entail neuro-stimulation and cognitive stimulants such as a) continuous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) caps acting along with pharmacological cognitive enhancements. The goal would be to suppress sleep signals and enable the soldiers to better absorb technical data.
To counter the bio-manufactured “super soldier” paradigms and cognitive domain warfare strategies of China and perhaps North Korea, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and DARPA might not replicate their adversarial models. Rather, a philosophy of asymmetric resilience could be utilized.
If DARPA can’t engineer a top-down modified human insulated against biological rejection, the U.S. might field an extended architecture of high-tech defense, exo-contextual upgrades and mental fortifications.
To counter Chinese deep-fakes and generative AI, along with tactical electronic warfare disrupting the network feeds and headsets of American operators, U.S. SOF might borrow from the British Army‘s feature of the “strategic corporal,” whereby lower-ranking soldiers on the ground are poised and empowered to make vital decisions. The BBC, Whitehall and British generals are not better informed or better able to direct events on the ground for the British Army. Rather, the soldiers closest to the action are best-suited.
The Chinese could flood U.S. operators with false digital maps, clones of voice commands, (as sci-fi fans observed in the film “Screamers”) as a part of China’s Cognitive Domain Warfare. (认知域作战.) To counter this, U.S. SOF would receive training in cognitive skepticism – to resist trusting what the screen is saying, rather than their human intuition.
An analog default mode might lead U.S. forces to transition to radio / network silence when China injects or corrupts signals. At this point, U.S. Special Forces will be operating like the SOF team in the original “Predator” film.
If U.S. SOF are finally able to direct a drone swarm with their minds, then their brains will need to be shielded from cyber-biological vulnerabilities. China could attempt “brain tapping,” which would be wireless interception of a SOF operator’s natural telemetry, or “brain hacking” – accomplished by using radio frequencies to inject signal noise to change the focus of the U.S. operator.
As such, for U.S. SOF and de facto super soldiers, closed-loop neuro-cybersecurity, encryption standards and hardened biotelemetry will be required. The level of fatigue of the super soldiers and their cognitive overload will be monitored. Algorithmic anomalous alerts will be sent to U.S. SOF through software safeguards detecting external neuro-modulation.
Physical shielding countermeasures will be generated if the system detects an operator’s stress and attention metrics are spiking. The system can isolate the signals causing this problem and quickly alert the US SOF team and super soldiers deployed in the field.
Tomorrow: LoBaido looks at what we can learn about enhancing soldiers’ abilities through the lives and traits of elite athletes.
Read Part 1: “The unsettling future of enhanced warfare”
