Mitigating Cost Asymmetry in Modern Warfare

This project hosts the research paper “Mitigating Cost Asymmetry in Modern Warfare: The Role of Low-Cost Autonomous Systems Across Domains.” The paper examines how inexpensive autonomous and unmanned systems, particularly attritable platforms and swarming technologies which can help re-balance the economic cost-exchange ratios that increasingly favor offensive actors in modern conflict. Through multi-domain analysis across air, land, and maritime environments, the study highlights both the strategic potential of low-cost autonomy and the operational, technical, and ethical risks associated with its integration. This OSF project serves as an open-access repository for the full manuscript and related materials. This paper is also available on Zenodo with DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18384806