Effects of Human Enhancement on the Relationship between the Military and Society

Answer

• What are some of the examples of human enhancement according to Lin et al?

  Lin et al. (2013) provide various examples of human advancement such as a learner who scores higher grades through the utilization of modafinil or Ritalin to facilitate effective studying. Another example is an athlete who uses anabolic steroids to enhance their strength. In the future, other examples of human enhancement could include a soldier who can run for longer periods using certain drugs and an office employee who has a computer chip in their head that allows them to access search engines and broader databases.

  How do Lin et al. define human enhancement?

  According to Lin et al. (2013), human enhancement can be defined as a biological or medical intervention that is launched into the human body to enhance capabilities, appearance, and performance, other than anything designed to restore, sustain, or achieve health.

  Review existing human enhancement projects in the domain of physical and cognitive capabilities; human senses and metabolism; and dual research.

             In the domain of enhancing cognitive and physical capabilities, some of the existing projects are the Peak Soldier Performance program to improve human physical and cognitive endurance and strength, and the DARPA program that uses Human Assisted Neural Devices to restore and revamp memories (Lin et al., 2013). Projects that exist to enhance human metabolism and senses include the RealNose project by DARPA, which endeavor to mimic the sense of smell of a dog to enhance smell sensitivity in humans, and the Crystalline Cellulose Conversion to Glucose program to enable soldiers to eat indigestible materials (Lin et al., 2013). Existing projects for dual research in human enhancement include blood pharming and the Feedback Regulated Automatic Molecular Release, which are both funded by DARPA.

  Does international law apply to enhanced humans, according to Lin et al?

           Yes. Lin et al. (2013) state that some forms of human enhancement can be considered to be weapons, thus, they should be subject to international law instruments like the Biological and Toxins Weapon Convention.

  Analyze the most important US domestic legislation dedicated to the regulation of human enhancement.

            The most crucial domestic legislation in the US for regulating human enhancement is the military law, which encompasses the Uniform Code of Military Justice as well as other statutory and legislative provisions. The statutory provisions apply to the individuals in the military forces and are the basis for the operations and regulations of any activities carried out by the military.

  What is the state of the debate on the ethics of military gene enhancement according to Greene and Master?

               The debate over gene enhancement in the military is currently ongoing, where the differentiation between using gene editing and engineering to sustain or restore health and human gene enhancement for purposes other than health is debated over. More individuals argue that using gene engineering for non-health reasons should be prohibited.

  What are the major factors that affect informed consent in human enhancement, according to Greene and Master?

             Some of the main factors include command structure, training of service members to act as units, the attitudes and perceptions of service members towards CRISPR gene engineering, and the effect of the novel FDA stance on accelerated progress of medical products by the DoD.

  What are the key problems associated with the inequality of access to human enhancement, according to Greene and Master?

           Inequality of access could lead to problems such as dissent, where military personnel can refuse to be deployed because they do not have similar protection levels. Inequality access could also result in disruption of the chain of command and inequality within the military.

  According to, McArdle and Blondin, what is “tiered readiness”?

           Tiered readiness refers to the capability of the military to meet the demands and standards of the allocated missions and fight.

  How does live, virtual and constructive (LVC) training help units in the field?

            LVC helps enhance military readiness through a superior transfer of knowledge, incorporating realism in training, improving options for coalition and joint training numerically, recruitment, and reduction of overall costs (McArdle & Blondin, 2017).

  According to Masci, what are the key costs of human enhancement for society?

             The costs that society may have to pay as a result of human enhancement include increased inequality, social gaps, and tension (Masci, 2016). The advantaged population may view the others as sub-humans, thus, creating a great social disruption.

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