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Development and employment of lethal autonomous weapon systems is still on the table for the United States, according to a recent congressional research service report.
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US policy does not prohibit the development or employment of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), according to the Defense Primer on US Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems published on 15 May.
There is no agreed international definition of LAWS, however, they can be generally characterised as weapon systems which use sensor suites and computer algorithms to independently identify a target, employ an onboard weapon system and destroy the target without manual human control.
“Although the United States does not currently have LAWS in its inventory, some senior military and defence leaders have stated that the United States may be compelled to develop LAWS in the future if US competitors choose to do so,” the report stated.
“Developments in both autonomous weapons technology and international discussions of LAWS could hold implications for congressional oversight, defence investments, military concepts of operations, treaty-making, and the future of war.”
This type of weapon system presents an ethical consideration because it would mean the decision to take human life is delegated to a machine entity without ethics, morality or responsibility.
The supportive argument for LAWS technology involves it’s capacity to automatically identify, track, and engage more accurately with potentially less risk of collateral damage or civilian casualties.
Since 2013, 30 countries have called for a ban on such fully autonomous weapons, according to Human Rights Watch. A “stopkillerrobots” online pledge has also been launched to encourage governments to begin negotiations for an international treaty on autonomous weapon systems.
These include Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, the Holy See, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the State of Palestine, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Those opposing a pre-emptive LAWS ban include Australia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. China has called for a treaty to ban the use of lethal autonomous weapons systems, but not their development or production.
Some considerations for the US Congress outlined in the report include the status of LAWS developed by US competitors, status of US investment in counter-autonomy capabilities, the possible acceleration of US LAWS development, ethical considerations and self-imposed restrictions on LAWS, weapons review and legal standards for LAWS operation and whether the United States should support the status quo, propose a political declaration or advocate for regulation or a ban on LAWS.
