Recent Publications

AI, Trust, Culture, and the Military (Part 2)
May 28, 2024 — Contesting Paul Scharre’s influential vision of “centaur warfighting” and the idea that autonomous weapon systems will replace human warfighters, this podcast proposes that the manned-unmanned teams of the future are more likely to be minotaurs, teams of humans under the control, supervision, or command of artificial intelligence... MORE

Book Review: Limited Force and the Fight for the Just War Tradition
May 20, 2024 — Military Theory | Author: Christian Nikolaus Braun | Reviewed by Reverend Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, US Army War College class of 2010 | Retired US Army chaplain Dr. Wylie W. Johnson reviews Christian Nikolaus Braun’s dissertation-turned-book on a “casuistic” approach to just war informed by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Johnson... MORE

Cover for Limited Force and the Fight for the Just War Tradition

AI, Trust, Culture, and the Military (Part 1)
May 15, 2024 — Contesting Paul Scharre’s influential vision of “centaur warfighting” and the idea that autonomous weapon systems will replace human warfighters, this podcast proposes that the manned-unmanned teams of the future are more likely to be minotaurs, teams of humans under the control, supervision, or command of artificial intelligence. It examines the likely composition of the future force and prompts a necessary conversation about the ethical issues raised by minotaur warfighting. The guests also explore culture and trust in relation to AI and the military. ... MORE

“Minotaurs, Not Centaurs: The Future of Manned-Unmanned Teaming”
April 12, 2023 — Contesting Paul Scharre’s influential vision of “centaur warfighting” and the idea that autonomous weapon systems will replace human warfighters, Sparrow and Henschke propose that the manned-unmanned teams of the future are more likely to be minotaurs—teams of humans under the control, supervision, or command of artificial intelligence. They examine the likely composition of the future force and prompt a necessary conversation about the ethical issues raised by minotaur warfighting. ... MORE

Why Do Senior Officers Sometimes Fail in Character? The Leaky Character Reservoir
January 20, 2023 — In this episode, the authors argue senior officers may fail in character because their rate of character development throughout their careers typically decreases as environmental stressors rise. They conceptualize character as an open system with both gains and leaks over time and integrate existing scholarship on personality and ethical development to create the Leaky Character Reservoir framework and then explain how it applies to Army officers’ careers. Military leaders will gain a new understanding of character and find specific actions officers, units, and the US Army can undertake to strengthen the character of its senior officers. ... MORE

New Directions in Just-War Theory
July 30, 2018 — Author: Dr. J. T. ReinerOne of the major developments in international law since World War II is the growth of human rights law dedicated to ensuring the protection of individuals from violence wherever they are, including from their own state. Tracking such changes, in recent decades, just-war theory has evolved from its traditional focus on state... MORE

Cover for New Directions in Just-War Theory

Robotics and Military Operations
May 22, 2018 — Editor: Prof William G Braun III, Kim Richard Nossal, Stéfanie von HlatkyIn the wake of two extended wars, Western militaries find themselves looking to the future while confronting amorphous nonstate threats and shrinking defense budgets. The 2015 Kingston Conference on International Security (KCIS) examined how robotics and autonomous systems... MORE

Cover for Robotics and Military Operations

A Typology of Arguments about Drone Ethics
October 10, 2017 — Author: Dr Mary ManjikianView the Executive Summary Many different actors oppose the use of unmanned autonomous weapons (UAV’s) from adversary states, to international governmental organizations to policymakers and academics. However, the basis for their opposition varies, as do the assumptions behind their arguments. This Letort Paper lays out... MORE

Strategic Insights: Think Before You Post: A Message to Those in Uniform
December 9, 2016 — Colonel Heidi A. UrbenAccording to a Gallup poll conducted July 18-25, 2016, the 2016 presidential election campaign had set an inauspicious record: never before have so many Americans held such unfavorable views of each party’s presidential nominee. Among registered voters, 58 percent held negative views of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: Think Before You Post: A Message to Those in Uniform

Autonomous Weapon Systems: A Brief Survey of Developmental, Operational, Legal, and Ethical Issues
December 16, 2015 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L CatonView the Executive Summary What does the Department of Defense hope to gain from the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS)? This Letort Paper explores a diverse set of complex issues related to the developmental, operational, legal, and ethical aspects of AWS. It explores the recent history of the development and... MORE

Lethal and Legal? The Ethics of Drone Strikes
December 15, 2015 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive Summary While supporters claim that drone warfare is not only legal but ethical and wise, others have suggested that drones are prohibited weapons under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) because they cause, or have the effect of causing, indiscriminate killings of civilians, such as those in the... MORE

The Ethics of Drone Strikes: Does Reducing the Cost of Conflict Encourage War?
September 29, 2015 — Authors: Dr Marcus Schulzke, Dr James Igoe WalshView the Executive Summary Armed unmanned aerial vehicles—combat drones—have fundamentally altered the ways the United States conducts military operations aimed at countering insurgent and terrorist organizations. Drone technology is on track to become an increasingly important part of the country’s... MORE