1 Do We Need to Rewrite Military Ethics? Ethics and Robotic Systems in Military Operations Msgr. Dr. Werner FREISTETTER Episcopal Vicar Catholic Military Chaplaincy of the Republic of Austria Head of Institute Institute for Religion and Peace (Vienna)

2 Possible key questions  Is the use of robotic systems in military operations of ethical relevance?  Does it lead to more ethical problems?  Does it increase or decrease the ethical complexity?  In view of the increasing use of robotic weapon systems, must military ethics be rewritten?  Would it be necessary to rewrite military ethics, if military operations were carried out solely by autonomous weapon systems?  From an ethical point of view, are there arguments against the use of autonomous systems or not?

3 First line of answers: No/ not more problems  Principles derived from “Just War” tradition  The ultimate goal: Peace  Last resort, military necessity  Discrimination, proportionality  Just cause  Legitimate authority  Compliance with International Humanitarian Law/ Law of Armed Conflict

4 Second line of answers: Yes/ more problems  Discrimination, proportionality: just a technical problem?  Ethos of the soldier?  Possibly growing inclination to wage war?  Legitimation to deploy autonomous systems against an enemy that does not have such weapons?  Responsibility?  Threat of autonomous systems getting out of control?

5 Two additional questions  What kind of conflict are we preparing to fight? –Clash of conventional armies –Asymmetric warfare –Peace support operations  Our traditional understanding of war as a matter of life and death – will the use of unmanned systems radically alter this existential dimension?

6 Conclusion: Rewriting military ethics? We have to apply the existing principles!  Use of robots can be ethically justified or even be mandatory in many scenarios and roles  To delegate decisions in morally sensitive areas to machines will create serious ethical problems  „The human factor“ – will machines make warfighting more humane? –Difference between machines and persons

7 Outlook  Will, one day, autonomous systems be responsible for their action on their own?  Will they be able to act morally on their own, to understand and apply principles?  Will they be legal persons?  Will they be “free”, i.e. have awareness, i.e. have self-awareness?  Paradox of creating humanlike machines?