Publications

Unmanned tools and systems play an increasingly large role in the modern battlefields, as these tools have significant advantages that encourage many countries and violent non-state actors to develop and use them. At the same time, this advanced technology raises moral, ethical, legal, and social concerns and questions. This article explains basic terms in the area of unmanned warfare, examines the developments made in the past twenty years, and presents the United States’ future plans in the field. It raises various challenges facing the field, including technological, while making the claim that limiting the field’s development will be difficult if not impossible due to the investments made by many countries, the large role unmanned tools and systems already play in today’s battlefield, and the field’s potential in the context of non-military uses, such as in science, medicine, services, and industry.