In the essay, “The case for kill Switches in Military Weaponry” by Jonathan Zittrain, Zittrain is asking a question that many people are concerned about, whether it be politicians or private citizens. The people want to know why the military trades weapons, without being able to control them, to nations that allow the enemy to get their hands on them or have traded weapons with the enemy in the past.
Zittrain’s text introduces the idea of the kill switch. Zittrain stated, “If the feature is worth putting in consumer devices, why not embed it in devices that can be so devastatingly repurposed- including against their rightful owners, as at the Mosul Dam?” (Zittrain, 926). The big question would then be, how secure are these kill switches inside these weapons? If the U.S were to trade weapons with other nations that could potentially hack our kill switches, our government would just be spending money on something that is faulty, not to mention the increase is U.S weaponry around the world. The United States is not the only country with individuals smart enough to break down this weaponry and repurpose it for their own use. The fear of the enemy learning how to copy or disable our military equipment is a big concern. This is why there are security clearances and classified weaponry in our military. Regardless of being able to control the weapons we trade, determining the weapons worth enough to get the kill switch would have to be determined. Money and level of destruction would have to be a factor in this decision because arming all weapons with a kill switch could potentially cost billions and maybe more.
Zittrain observed, “Today however, we are making the conscious choice to create and share medium and heavy weaponry while not restricting it’s use.” (p. 929). Who is making the choice to trade U.S weaponry? Everyday civilians do not have a say in whether or not military weapons are exchanged with other countries. As interesting and well put together as Zittrain’s article is, Zittrain’s credentials in law and public speaking do not show any expertise in military weaponry or overseas military affairs. The military has a reason for working the way that it does and most believe that so far it is working. Kill switches are not new technology and the military more than likely has decided against them for some reason. Or kill switches do exist and civilians are not allowed to know about it. The military keeping advanced military equipment a secret is a key factor in the success of our military.
This article provides information on technology that has proven its worth in consumer use. As stated before, this technology is not new and more than likely has been considered or is already in use in the military. According to Zittrain, kill switches sound easy and completely necessary. Until our military no longer provides us the protection that we need, choices like this belong to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense and ranking individuals under them qualified and experienced enough to make them.
Zittrain, Jonathen.”The Case for Kill Switches in Military Weapnry.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Reading and Handbook. 4th ed., by Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly, Gaggin, and Francine Weinberg, 2016, pp. 926-29 xmlns:”http:
Sean Rhoney 