Legal advisors from across NATO, legal scholars and leaders with NATO Rapid Deployment Corps - Greece came together for a legal conference in Thessaloniki, Greece Jan. 15.
Participants discussed a host of topics important to the law of armed conflict which governs military operations and serves as a legal guide for planning military operations.
USANATO judge advocate Lt. Col. Jeffrey Thurnher, a legal advisor with NATO Rapid Deployment Corps-1: Germany-Netherlands, who has extensively researched and written on the topic, provided a featured presentation to participants on the law of armed conflict as it applies to future autonomous, or unmanned, weapon systems.
Autonomous systems can be found in increasing aspects of modern warfare including ballistic missile and other air-defense systems, drones and air-to-ground rockets.
As the development and use of these technologies continues to grow, the debate over unmanned weapon systems has been seen in governments and military organizations world-wide - the United States and NATO included.
The conference took place following an 18-month study on the topic led by NATO Allied Command Transformation which considered whether emerging capabilities can comply with the law of armed conflict.
For his part, Thurnher wants to ensure that academic research and discussions of this kind help inform how NATO approaches use of unmanned systems in the future. "Participation in projects like these ensures that [we] continue to help shape future NATO doctrine and policy," said Thurnher.
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