Fight Like a Machine: The Combat Future of the Human Body

Emerging technologies―from AI and robotics to digital gaming―are transforming the role of the human body in warfare, even as a decline in the mental and physical fitness of the U.S. population is presenting new challenges for building a strong military force. In light of these cultural changes, Fight Like a Machine: The Combat Future of the Human Body makes an eloquent case for rethinking what it means to be "fighting fit" in today's military―and what this means, in turn, for military recruitment, training, and strategy.

Drawing on military history, kinesiology, and defense studies, Thomas M. Hunt argues that the traditional paradigm of physical prowess in warfare is being eclipsed by a new model of human-machine integration. His extensive research suggests that the conventional image of the soldier―defined by physical strength, speed, and endurance―is being reshaped by digital tools, robotics, and artificial intelligence. As seen in Ukraine and elsewhere, success in today’s wars demands cognitive agility and technological fluency alongside brute military force―a trend that favors greater inclusion of women in combat roles, as well as greater emphasis on digital-native skill sets and the demands of human-machine collaboration. Ukraine, employing an armed force of largely middle-aged soldiers with great technical proficiency, offers a prime example of how nations must evolve militarily if they are to successfully conduct―or withstand―war.

Hunt's book marks a starting point for just such an evolution―and lays out in clear, accessible terms what sort of change is needed, why, and what's at stake: nothing less than the future of the American military.

Thomas M. Hunt is Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin. He is author of Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960-2008 and co-editor of A Global History of Doping in Sport: Drugs, Policy, and Politics.