Autonomous Weapon Policy Receives Much Needed Update.

• Author: Miles, Wilson
• Position: EMERGING TECHNOLOGY HORIZONS

The adoption of emerging technologies for national defense poses challenges and opportunities not just to the developers and operators, but to policymakers as well. There is no clearer example of this than the ongoing debate over the potential use of autonomous weapon systems on the battlefield.

The Pentagon recently updated Directive 3000.09--its guiding document for U.S. military policies on autonomy in weapon systems--to reflect rapid developments over the past few years. This demonstrates the ongoing commitment of U.S. policymakers to be forward-looking in establishing responsible constraints, as well as a shared understanding of the military relevance, technical realities, threats and strategic implications of autonomous weapon systems.

Directive 3000.09 created a regulatory framework that inserted policy considerations into the military's acquisition and requirements process before formal development. The update to this policy clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the technical, policy, and military communities who manage autonomous systems' maturation and eventual use.

Of note is the requirement for a formal review of autonomous weapons systems so their use is consistent with governing policies. This includes operational capabilities and limits, system safety and reliability, and will be conducted by the undersecretaries of defense for policy; research and engineering; and acquisition and sustainment, in addition to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It is important for policies to avoid focusing on theoretical examples and instead be rooted in specific concept of operations or realistic mission use cases. Much of the current discourse surrounding autonomous weapon systems occurs at an abstract level. Acknowledging this, 3000.09 now requires systems to be designed to "complete engagements within a timeframe and geographic area, as well as other applicable environmental and operational parameters."

This policy balances abstract policy goals with the military's operational need to be tactically useful, and the technical reality of engineering an autonomous system. This will help engineers maximize system effectiveness when writing code and assessment methodologies intended to meet well-designed and bounded military use cases. Prohibiting the fielding of systems whose operations are unbounded by time and geography will also drive developers to use data consistent with these operational limits when training these...