The stormtrooper and unmanned systems operator in the context of the conflict: tradition and innovation in the Russian Army of the future

Alexandr L. Repetenko
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Alexandr L. Repetenko: Moscow State Pedagogical University

Russian Social and Humanitarian Studies, 2026, vol. 18, issue 2, 45-65

Abstract: Background. In a horizon of 30-40 years, the gradual displacement of the human from the zone of direct combat contact is predicted due to the mass introduction of unmanned systems. A fundamental contradiction arises between the figure of the stormtrooper – the bearer of classical military tradition, embodying combat experience, courage, and self-sacrifice – and the figure of the unmanned systems operator, embodying technological innovation, remote engagement, and algorithmic rationality. This confrontation actualizes the problem of continuity of the spiritual core of the military tradition: honor, collectivism, and heroism. Purpose. Identifying and providing a philosophical-anthropological analysis of the value-status conflict between the stormtrooper and unmanned systems operator, as well as possible scenarios for the preservation, transformation, or redefinition of the military tradition of the Russian Army under conditions of increasing robotization and the changing subject of combat operations. Materials and methods. The research materials include scientific publications on the philosophy of war and the ethics of autonomous systems, works of fiction and cinema, as well as empirical data from contemporary armed conflicts. The methodological framework comprises socio-philosophical, comparative, anthropological, and conflictological approaches, together with hermeneutic and system-typological methods. The conflictological approach is used to analyze the confrontation between the stormtrooper and unmanned systems operator as a value-status conflict, identifying its sources, dynamics, and possible ways of management. Results. Three key scenarios for the evolution of military tradition are examined. The «replacement» scenario implies the complete displacement of the stormtrooper by the operator and, consequently, the erosion of the traditional spiritual foundations of the army. The «coexistence» scenario implies functional separation and the parallel existence of two ethical systems. The «synthesis» scenario describes the formation of a hybrid figure of the «operator-stormtrooper», combining technological competence with combat psychology. The conclusion is substantiated that the most probable and balanced scenario is coexistence with elements of synthesis, in which military tradition is not destroyed but is subjected to redefinition and adaptation to new technological conditions.

Keywords: stormtrooper; unmanned systems operator; tradition; continuity; innovation; Russian Army; philosophy of war; anthropological shift (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cxm:russhs:18:2:2026:45-65

DOI: 10.12731/3033-5981-2026-18-2-550

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