Agile Chaplaincy: Understanding the impacts of emerging technologies on the operation of Military Chaplaincy.

This PhD concerns how Military Chaplaincy is responding to the use of emerging technology in the Military, by mapping out how technology relates to the spiritual lives of soldiers and the work of their chaplains. This enquiry is helpful for Security Studies and Theology, as it highlights the intersections between these two disciplines in the life of the military, and asks critical questions surrounding the nature of military chaplaincy in the 'digital age'; and its implications for security and appropriate soldier wellbeing.
The contemporary battlefield is defined by its complexity and interconnectivity (Singer, 2010: 41). As such, the future battlefield becomes something markedly more chaotic, unstructured and unstable (Kott, 2018:2). Consequently, recent military documents discuss how this futuristic battlefield effects force lethality and defence (MOD, 2017). But they often neglect how technology impacts on the wellbeing of soldiers. This gap is worrying, given the nature of the future battlefield, and its inevitable impact on a soldier outside of their ability to fight.
Therefore, policy discussions must consider the role of chaplaincy, and acknowledge that it is in need of revision if it is to remain appropriate and secure whilst the battlefield transforms. Chaplaincy is vital to the emotional wellbeing of soldiers in times of extreme stress or grief (Davie, 2015:43). The transformative effects of emerging technologies give this role more urgency, with the future battlefield inevitably becoming a more stressful and precarious place for warfighters.