  Militaries around the world have long been cognizant of the potential
benefits associated with autonomous systems both in the conduct of warfare and
in its prevention. This has lead to the declaration by some that this
technology will lead to a fundamental change in the ways in which war is
conducted, i.e., a revolution in military affairs (RMA) not unlike gunpowder,
the long bow, the rifled bullet, the aircraft carrier, etc. Indeed the United
States has created roadmaps for robotics with ever-increasing autonomous
capability that span almost 40 years. These systems span air, sea, sea surface,
littoral, ground and subterranean environments. There are serious societal and
ethical concerns associated with the deployment of this technology that remain
unaddressed. How can sufficient protection be afforded noncombatants? What
about civilian blowback, where this technology may end up being used in
policing operations against domestic groups? How can we protect the fundamental
human rights of all involved? Considerable discussion is being conducted at an
international level, including at the United Nations Convention on Certain
Conventional Weapons (CCW) over the past two years, debating if and how such
systems, particularly lethal platforms should be banned or regulated.
