The effects of autonomous weapon systems on new generation warfare: The case of Turkey

UAV systems, also known as semi-autonomous weapon systems, are actively used in the new generation warfare, which is currently the last phase of the developing understanding of war. The effects of unmanned systems on the battlefields have emerged as a new field of study. Therefore, understanding what kind of gains these systems bring represents an area that is lacking in Turkey as well. The examination of autonomous systems constitutes an important point in terms of filling the gap in this field and contributing to the literature. In this direction, the aim of the study is to understand the effect and position of autonomous weapon systems in the new generation war through the operations carried out with UAV/SİHA systems in Turkey's close geography. In the study, the innovations brought by the new generation war to the battlefield, the area of influence of the unmanned systems in the new generation war and the advantages of the states that have these systems have been tried to be answered. At the point of answering these questions, first of all, military transformation was discussed and the concept of new generation warfare was clarified. Then, evaluations were made on autonomous weapon systems, which are artificial intelligence-based military elements in the new generation war. In the last part, attention has been drawn to the effect they have created through the example of the use of semi-autonomous UAVs by Turkey. The study is a qualitative study, literature review was made, document/text analysis and analysis methods were used.