Cold War adversaries developed automated retaliation systems that removed humans from the kill decision

Evidence

But the Soviets, meanwhile, were building a new weapon of their own—an automated launch system that could fire retaliatory missiles even after the command center was destroyed. The “dead hand,” as it was called, was a satellite-based network of sensors that, once activated, could automatically fire Soviet ICBMs to previously targeted coordinates without a human having to push a button. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 572

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the wider ‘antlers/spurs’ arms-race framework and to any discussion of autonomous weapons systems in modern warfare. — connects to: Soviet dead hand system could launch retaliatory missiles without human action; Cold War arsenals could destroy all civilization thousands of times over; Automated targeting thresholds centralize atrocity into a single parameter-setting decision. (+2 more)

Related

• Soviet dead hand system could launch retaliatory missiles without human action (similarity 0.88)
• Cold War arsenals could destroy all civilization thousands of times over (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Automated targeting thresholds centralize atrocity into a single parameter-setting decision. #expands (0.70)
• Distributed lethal systems fabricate irresponsibility by diluting causal attribution. #expands (0.55)
• Remote weapons make war unilateral with deaths confined to the enemy side #qualifies (0.45)