Inscribing the Urban in Technical Objects

How does military vehicular technology capture urban space? What kinds of associations hold armored vehicles, soldiers, and the urban together? And, how are the concerns of the military mediated through technology? This short talk attempts to answer these questions that are missing from academic discussions of militarization. It addresses the urbanization—or making urban—of military technology rather than the militarization—or making military—of urban areas. Through a pragmatist approach and ANT-inspired methodology, the research traces and translates technical data from patents and patent applications on the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles employed by the U.S. military in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars upon the increasing threat of improvised explosives devices (IEDs). Preliminary analysis shows how specific understandings of the urban are inscribed in these vehicles, transforming them from mere transportation machines to become protective architectures for soldiers, missions, and themselves.