Uavs and Force: Current Debates and Future Trends in Technology, Policy and the Law

About this book

This study examines a representative sample of the ongoing legal and policy debates surroundingthe United States’ use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support or undertake lethal force abroad,particularly with respect to the surveillance and targeting of non-state asymmetric actors. The study also explores technological trends in the development of UAVs for purposes of undertaking force or force-supporting missions, as well as the trajectory of legal and policy developments in response to the use of UAVs, including possible policy consequences of further restricting the use of such platforms.The commentary contained throughout the study is derived in part from interviews with primary sources—drawn from leading think tanks, human rights organizations, technology companies, and academia—representing a range of opinions on the technological feasibility, legality, and policy advisability of deploying UAVs for lethal force purposes. The study also draws extensively on secondary research onthese same questions, from sources across the opinion spectrum.