Autonomy on the Battlefield

"The Backdrop: Redefining Control This issue explores the monumental push toward autonomy in defense technology and the fundamental shift required in our understanding of command. In its purest sense, autonomy is the condition of self-government. When we overlay that concept onto military machines and armed drones, the immediate fear is that we are outsourcing the moral weight of life and death to an algorithm."

"However, the reality of military command is more nuanced. To understand autonomy in defense technology, I want to first be clear about how the military defines command. Command is composed of three elements: authority, responsibility, and decision-making. Authority is the delegated power to make decisions and use resources. Responsibility is the legal and ethical obligation for everything a unit does or fails to do. And decision-making is the process of translating high-level intent into actionable orders."

"Autonomy does not replace the commander; it enables the commander to aggregate and disaggregate aspects of Command and Control (C2). Specifically, autonomy allows a commander to delegate control to a machine while maintaining command. However simple this sounds, it is a monumental mindset shift for many commanders. To be successful, this will require reshaping some commanders' understanding of technology."

Autonomy in defense reframes control by applying self-government to military machines and armed drones, raising fears about outsourcing life-and-death decisions to algorithms. Command comprises authority, responsibility, and decision-making, with authority as delegated power, responsibility as legal and ethical obligation, and decision-making as translating intent into orders. Autonomy enables commanders to aggregate and disaggregate aspects of Command and Control, allowing delegation of control to machines while commanders retain command. Successful adoption demands a significant mindset shift and reshaping commanders' understanding of technology. Implementing autonomy requires assigning explicit frameworks of authority for defined tasks such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

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