The End of the Exposed Warfighter: Cost Asymmetry and Attrition Economics in Modern Combat

This preprint analyzes how cost asymmetry and regeneration speed under sustained attrition are reshaping modern warfare. Using evidence from the war in Ukraine, it argues that low-cost unmanned systems now dominate the contact layer of combat, rendering exposed human warfighters economically non-viable in high-attrition environments Attrubiton Notice: This work is the original intellectual property of Michael Aaron Cody. All ideas, arguments, frameworks, and conclusions are solely the author's own. Unauthorized reproduction, paraphrasing, or use of this material without proper citation is prohibited. If you reference, quote, or build upon this work, cite it. Find me on Twitter: https://x.com/MichaelCody