Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Gene-editing has become a priority for the world’s militaries. In the United States, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has budgeted 100-million-dollars to fund projects exploring gene-editing technology. While much of the research focuses on defense, there are concerns related to the dual-use of this research and the military’s desire to use gene-editing for enhancement. Reports speculate that this technology could enable soldiers to run at super-human speeds, carry enormous weight, live off their fat stores, and go without sleep. While this enhancement would inevitably lead to increased survivability in war, there are significant and warranted ethical concerns. This paper provides a brief examination of this new technology, focusing on military priorities and interests in the field. The analysis will specifically focus on an under-discussed element in the ethical permissibility of genetic enhancement - its precarious position at the intersection of civilian and military spheres. Will civilians have access to the same types of genetic enhancement, or will it be limited to military use? And who owns the enhancements—the military or the individual service-member? Additionally, if these enhancements are permanent, how will the service-member function in society after separation from the military? In a time where reintegration issues already exist, the enhancement of service-members to be ideal warriors may serve to only widen the divide between soldier and civilian. While much discussion has focused on the dilemma of dual-use, or research ethics, little has been said about the long-term ramifications of enhancing service-members who must ultimately rejoin civil society.