So... with all the billions and trillions of dollars spent designing and deploying new weapon systems, and with the rise of military robotics (drones now, and soon ground combat units), and the fast-growing capabilities and potentials of automation and AI, here's my question:

Is it not time to demand Congress have our military forces seriously research non-lethal combat dominance, and commit to making that the future of armed conflict?

Maybe designated targets will need one immobilizing robot for each person present; maybe fewer entering together and swarm-AIing the situation, divvying tasks in a fraction of a blink, spraying nets and beanbags and taser lines and tranquilizer darts while others dart about fitting restraints; maybe some entirely different approach, that's what research is for. Some will be destroyed but it could still be much less expensive than dropping in a cruise missile, or losing lives.

We are going to deploy robots in combat, and the earliest ones will be designed to kill efficiently, and they will save many lives of US soldiers. It seems mere churlishness (as well as down-dirty evil) to not operate combat robots in a way that saves lives on both sides of violent disagreement.

The US is currently losing considerable prestige on the world stage, and belligerence is a heavy contributor. Giving this planet hope that the heaviest-handed forms of violence can mellow would help US regain some moral standing.