![]() An example of a dirty mission is one that exposes humans to potentially harmful radiological material. These include that robots are better suited than humans for “‘dull, dirty, or dangerous’ missions.” 2 An example of a dull mission is long-duration sorties. The Department of Defense’s Unmanned Systems Roadmap: 2007-2032 provides additional reasons for pursuing autonomous weapons systems. Finally, autonomous weapons systems can reduce casualties by removing human warfighters from dangerous missions. Next, advocates credit autonomous weapons systems with expanding the battlefield, allowing combat to reach into areas that were previously inaccessible. That is, fewer warfighters are needed for a given mission, and the efficacy of each warfighter is greater. First, autonomous weapons systems act as a force multiplier. Those who call for further development and deployment of autonomous weapons systems generally point to several military advantages. Other supporters emphasize moral justifications for using them. Some members of the defense community advocate autonomous weapons because of military advantages. Support for autonomous weapons systems falls into two general categories. Arguments in Support of Autonomous Weapons Systems Finally, it closes with a policy recommendation. ![]() Next, it discusses challenges to limiting and defining autonomous weapons. This article first reviews arguments by those who favor autonomous weapons systems and then by those who oppose them. In contrast, critics hold that these weapons should be curbed, if not banned altogether, for a variety of moral and legal reasons. Some military experts hold that autonomous weapons systems not only confer significant strategic and tactical advantages in the battleground but also that they are preferable on moral grounds to the use of human combatants. These machines have prompted a debate among military planners, roboticists, and ethicists about the development and deployment of weapons that can perform increasingly advanced functions, including targeting and application of force, with little or no human oversight. (Image by Peggy Frierson)Īutonomous weapons systems and military robots are progressing from science fiction movies to designers’ drawing boards, to engineering laboratories, and to the battlefield. As autonomous weapons systems move from concept to reality, military planners, roboticists, and ethicists debate the advantages, disadvantages, and morality of their use in current and future operating environments. ![]()
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