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cover of episode How do you make something 10-times more lethal?

How do you make something 10-times more lethal?

2025/6/11
logo of podcast More or Less: Behind the Stats

More or Less: Behind the Stats
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
C
Chris Neelan
D
David Sinclair
L
Lizzie McNeill
S
Shashank Joshi
T
Tim Harford
Z
Zoe
Topics
Tim Harford: 英国政府提出的“十倍杀伤力”军队目标引发了广泛关注，我希望通过采访国防专家来解读这一概念，并分析其可行性和潜在风险。我认为，理解这一目标需要深入探讨杀伤力的衡量标准、技术实现手段以及对未来战争的影响。 Shashank Joshi: 作为《经济学人》的国防编辑，我认为英国陆军提出的“十倍杀伤力”目标，意味着英国旅应能击败规模是自身十倍的敌方部队。然而，我认为这个目标过于夸大，可能导致对自身实力的误判。目前，英国部队实力不足，且衡量杀伤力存在诸多问题。我强调，数量在战争中仍然具有重要意义，不能过分依赖技术优势。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the ambiguity of measuring an army's lethality, using the UK government's aim to create a 'ten times more lethal' army as a case study. It discusses the challenges in quantifying lethality and the potential dangers of overestimating its impact.
  • The UK government aims to create a 10 times more lethal army.
  • Measuring army lethality is complex and involves factors like technology, training, and logistics.
  • There's a risk of overestimating the impact of increased lethality and underestimating the enemy's capacity.

Shownotes Transcript

What does the government mean when it commits to developing a “10-times more lethal” army?

Why was the much-missed Sycamore Gap tree said to be worth a strikingly exact £622,191?

Are there really twice as many people teaching Yoga as there are in the fishing industry?

Is the number of workers per pensioner really falling from 4 to 3 to 2? And what did Donald Trump mean when he said the price of eggs had fallen by 400%?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. If you want us to look at a number you think looks a bit suspicious, email the team - [email protected]

Please note an earlier edition of the programme incorrectly stated that the new EU-UK fishing agreement would last 4 years. The agreement length is 12 years.

More or Less is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Nicholas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon