At the crossroads of scholarship and practice
The Lieber Institute at West Point facilitates and contributes to the global dialogue on today’s most pressing and complex law of war issues. Through its research, publications, events and education, it strives to advance the understanding and maintain the primacy of law in today’s armed conflicts.
The Lieber Institute seeks to bridge the divide between legal scholarship and battlefield experience in the study of the law. It engages in innovative research and collaboration on multiple topics of legal study including targeting, detention, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and war crimes accountability.
Researching Cutting-edge Issues.
Promoting Understanding.
Empowering Combat Leaders.
Air Warfare and International Humanitarian Law
In 1949, the U.S. Army’s International Law Branch Chief, Major William G. Downey, provided remarks (in his personal capacity) to the American Society of International Law. He asserted, The person who first drafts an acceptable code of rules for use in aerial warfare...
When the Defender Is the Attacker and Does It Matter?
I was delighted to learn that Dr Jonathan Kwik has received funding for what promises to be a most important research project. Jonathan is fast developing a well-earned reputation as a thought-leader in complex areas associated with emerging technologies; for the...
Beyond Human-in-the-Loop: Battlefield Maps for Drone Autonomy
The requirement that a human approve every lethal engagement, known as human-in-the-loop (HITL), is effectively dead, a casualty of the war in Ukraine. The requirement that commanders bear responsibility for the operations under their command, however, survives. The...
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Volume 13
Volume 12
Volume 11
