Emerging Technologies
Coding the Law of Armed Conflict: First Steps
[Editor’s note: The following post highlights a subject addressed in the Lieber Studies volume The Future Law of Armed Conflict, which was published 27 May 2022. For a general introduction to this volume, see Professor Matt Waxman’s introductory post.] Killer...
The Law of Armed Conflict in 2040
In the summer of 2020, the Lieber Institute team and I convened a workshop at West Point titled “LOAC 2040.” We invited a group of law of armed conflict (LOAC) scholars and practitioners from around the world, and with a range of perspectives, to consider how that...
Augmented Reality Battlefield
States are prioritizing measures to enhance soldiers’ situational awareness during military operations, including the development of augmented reality capabilities. Augmented reality, as distinguished from virtual reality, superimposes digital content on a live view...
New Edition of The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations
The Stockton Center for International Law (SCIL), U.S. Naval War College (NWC), recently completed a 2-year effort, in coordination with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard, to update The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations (NWP...
Hunter 2-S Swarming Attack Drones: Legal & Ethical Dimensions
Halcon, a defense company based in the United Arab Emirates, unveiled its aerial fleet of swarming drones—Hunter 2-S—at the Unmanned System Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on February 21, 2022. The small-sized Hunter 2-S modular launching system is the latest...
The Law and Character of War in 2035
In fall of 2020, the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare at West Point joined a U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC) multi-year study on the changing character of warfare. The study has convened three times annually since. Its purpose is to predict and identify...
Deepfake Technology in the Age of Information Warfare
Prior to its invasion of Ukraine, there were speculations that Russia was planning to produce a graphic fake video showing a Ukrainian attack as a pretext for an invasion. Although this “false flag” operation did not play a major role in the end, deepfake technology...
Reentering the Loop
The warfighting advantages of using lethal autonomous systems, and the potential costs of not using them, seem to guarantee their role in future armed conflict. This post argues that optimizing their effectiveness involves not only improving their independent...
Why Binding Limitations on Autonomous Weapons Will Remain Elusive
Recent calls to abandon existing and ongoing legal processes to develop regulations for autonomous weapons should be evaluated cautiously or even suspiciously. This post proposes a more productive path toward effective regulation and important international consensus...
Holding Autonomy to Account: Legal Standards for Autonomous Weapon Systems
The March 21 UN Panel of Experts on Libya report, citing the use of an autonomous armed drone by Turkish-backed Government of National Accord Affiliate Forces to attack retreating Hafter-Affiliated Forces in Libya, suggests the prospect of weapons with autonomous...
When Corporations Take Offensive Measures Against States
Cyberattacks are increasingly inundating the private sector, and most States are unable or unwilling to provide adequate protection against these attacks. To mitigate this challenge, numerous corporations acknowledge that they have engaged in some form of active cyber...
The Kargu-2 Autonomous Attack Drone: Legal & Ethical Dimensions
In March 2021, a UN Panel of Experts on Libya reported a possible use of lethal autonomous weapons systems—such as the STM Kargu-2—which “were programmed to attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the munition: in effect, a true...