By Li Hai

李海

The US recently hosted the Project Convergence Capstone 4 (PC-C4) joint exercises, during which the US, the UK and Australia (the AUKUS) tested AI-supported UAVs and other autonomous combat devices, marking a significant step forward in the alliance's integration of their AI defense systems.

美国近日主办“融合项目—顶点4”联合演习。演习中，美英澳三国组成的“奥库斯”联盟，测试了人工智能（AI）技术支撑下的无人机和其他自主作战装置。这是“奥库斯”联盟在整合人工智能防御系统方面迈出的重要一步。

This was the first time that autonomous and AI sensing systems were used in a real-time military environment. UAVs from the three countries operated in the same airspace, through which the operators were able to locate, paralyze and destroy ground targets.

此次测试首次在实时军事环境中使用自主和人工智能传感系统。来自美英澳三国的无人机在同一空域共同行动，操作员能够定位、瘫痪和摧毁地面目标。

According to a statement from the U.S. DoD, the testing was aimed to minimize the time needed to identify enemy targets. Once the technology is proven and integrated into national platforms, the new sensing systems will be able to produce more reliable data that will help the commanders make the best decisions, and enable the military to cope with the threats posed by kinetic weapons more quickly and efficiently and organize joint military operations involving multiple services and nations.

根据美国国防部发表的声明，该测试旨在最大限度缩短识别敌方目标所需的时间，一旦技术成熟并融入国家级平台，这些新的传感系统将产生更可靠的数据，指挥官可据此作出最佳决策，军方也可更快更有效应对动能武器威胁，开展涉及多个军种和国家的联合军事行动。

The AI-based combat devices recently tested by AUKUS do reflect the future trend on the battlefield, but they come with obvious ethical issues. The AI technology is too complicated for engineers to precisely anticipate the system decisions. If unmanned weapon systems are completely autonomous, anything out of expectation would lead to catastrophic consequences.

“奥库斯”联盟日前测试的人工智能作战工具，固然反映出未来战场发展趋势，但随相关伦理问题也越发明显。人工智能技术过于复杂，工程师往往无法准确预测系统的决策，一旦完全自主化的无人武器系统发生意料之外的情况，造成的后果可能是灾难性的。

The trilateral joint statement by the US, the UK and Australia in September 2021 said that the US and the UK would together sell sensitive nuclear-powered assault submarines to Australia, bringing the AUKUS into being. The recent test once again indicated, in more than one way, what the trilateral military bloc really is.

2021年9月，美英澳三国发表联合声明，由美英联手向澳大利亚出售敏感的攻击核潜艇，“奥库斯”联盟从此肇始。此次测试也从多个角度折射出这个三边军事集团的本质所在。

First of all, the AUKUS is a close political, military and technological alliance of the three countries. The test can be seen as an expansion of the member states' scope of cooperation from nuclear submarines to AI and UAVs. The American website, Defense News, said the nuclear submarine is the cornerstone of AUKUS, and the three countries' scope of cooperation would gradually expand to other domains such as AI, robotics, supercomputing, chips, and intelligence sharing.

首先，“奥库斯”是美英澳紧密结成的政治、军事和技术多重联盟。这次测试可被视为联盟内部合作范围的扩展，即从核潜艇领域扩展到人工智能与无人机。美国防务新闻网站称，核潜艇是“奥库斯”的“立盟之本”，三国合作范围将逐步扩展到人工智能、机器人、超算、芯片、情报共享等领域。

Second, AUKUS' war-mongering nature is laid bare. Ever since its formation, the US and the UK have felt no qualms about selling nuclear submarines and weapon-grade nuclear materials to Australia, a non-nuclear state, in stark violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Now the alliance is accelerating the military application of AI and minced no words about its intention of coping with the so-called major-country competition, behind which is its true purpose of starting the "new Cold War" against the trend of the times, which will gravely sabotage regional peace and stability.

其次，“奥库斯”联盟热衷于对抗的色彩更加暴露无遗。这个联盟自成立之日起，美英就不惜实质性违背《不扩散核武器条约》，向澳大利亚这一无核国家出售核潜艇以及武器级核材料。如今，“奥库斯”联盟又加紧推进人工智能军事应用，并且毫不掩饰地宣称是为了应对“大国竞争”，实为逆潮流而动重启“新冷战”，严重破坏地区和平与稳定。

Third, the AUKUS is a tightly bound alliance under America's lead, unlike NATO. The US has clear-cut standards for AUKUS' founding members and potential new entrants – allies of the highest level with great economic, military, and technological capabilities, strong strategic aggressiveness, and the willingness to follow the US in confronting its major rivals. Washington sees the other AUKUS members as its "iron-clad followers", and the three of them often jointly develop and share sensitive, sophisticated technologies. This will aggravate bloc confrontation, increase the risk of weapon proliferation, and destroy peace and stability in the Asia Pacific.

再次，这是美国主导下的“亲密度”极高的联盟。与北约不同，美国对“奥库斯”联盟创始成员和潜在扩员对象的标准很明显：最高层级的心腹盟友；具有较强经济、军事、技术实力；战略进攻性强，愿意紧紧追随美国对抗其主要竞争对手。美国将“奥库斯”联盟其他成员国视为“铁杆小弟”，经常在联盟内部联手发展并共享较为敏感的尖端技术。这种做法将加剧阵营对抗和武器扩散风险，破坏亚太地区和平稳定。