Taking Humans Out of the Loop: Implications for International Humanitarian Law
** Special edition expert commentary on precis in vol 19 issue 1.
- Author Markus Wagner [Click here for author details]
- EAP Date (approved for print): 11 July 2011
DOI: 10.5778/JLIS.2011.21.Wagner.1
The current generation of UVs is remotely operated, sometimes from a close distance, sometimes over long distances. And while the use of fully autonomous weapons is still a decade or more away, there has been considerable discussion as to when this goal is to be reached. Until a few years ago, it was commonplace for defense officials to consider retaining humans in the loop as an essential component of warfare even in the future. However, a US Department of Defense (DoD) report in 2009, predicted that the technological challenges regarding fully autonomous systems will be overcome by the middle of the century. Technological development has been particularly rapid regarding unmanned aerial vehicles, followed by a vigorous and concomitant public debate. Focusing largely on the legality of targeted killing, this debate has also brought to light the increasing extent to which UAVs have been used in prosecuting armed conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Iraq.
This comment first addresses the difference between the current weapon systems and the next generation of truly autonomous weaponry (Part 2), followed by an overview of the applicable rules of armed conflict (Part 3) before offering some concluding remarks (Part 4).
Markus Wagner Associate Professor of Law
- J.S.M. 2006, Stanford Law School Magister Juris Internationalis 2005,
- University of Giessen Law School Erstes Juristisches Staatsexamen (J.D. equivalent) 2002,
- University of Giessen Law School
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