[CamperBob2]

"When did defense work stop being taboo" etc.

There's a good quote in the Economist story on autonomous drones that's also linked from the front page [1]. The idea that you can ethically shun defense work is itself a privilege and a luxury that many people throughout the world don't enjoy.

“It’s the best feeling to see your drone enter a tiny opening in an enemy trench,” says Denys, an engineer at The Fourth Law, the Ukrainian firm which makes these autonomous drones. “I used to be a pacifist, but Russia’s war has stripped me of that privilege.”

As long as there are countries like Russia, there will have to be a strong defense industry. The leaders of such countries understand nothing but violence, so unfortunately, violence it is.

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42352871