About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (October 23, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbmp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ° Congressional Research Service Informig t Ieslatve debaM1 s1ce 1914 Defense Primer: Emerging Technologies Senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials have identified a number of emerging technologies that could have a disruptive impact on U.S. national security in the years to come. These technologies include * artificial intelligence, * lethal autonomous weapons, * hypersonic weapons, * directed-energy weapons, * biotechnology, and * quantum technology. As these technologies continue to mature, they could hold significant implications for congressional oversight, U.S. defense authorizations and appropriations, military concepts of operations, and the future of war. Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to a computer system capable of human-level cognition. AI is currently being incorporated into a number of military applications, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; logistics; defensive cyber operations; command and control; and semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. As it develops, AI could enable new concepts of operations, such as swarming (i.e., cooperative behavior in which uninhabited vehicles autonomously coordinate to achieve a task), that could present both challenges and opportunities for the U.S. military. Recent news reports and analyses have highlighted the role of AI in enabling increasingly realistic photo, audio, and video digital forgeries, popularly known as deep fakes. Adversaries could potentially deploy this AI capability as part of their information operations in a gray zone conflict. Deep fake technology could be used against the United States and its allies to generate false news reports, influence public discourse, erode public trust, and attempt to blackmail diplomats. Some have suggested that AI could be used to create full digital patterns-of-life, in which an individual's digital footprint is mapped against other personal information, such as spending habits and job history, to create comprehensive behavioral profiles of servicemembers, suspected intelligence officers, government officials, and private citizens. Similar to deep fakes, this information could, in turn, be used for targeted influence operations or blackmail. To coordinate defense-wide Al efforts, the Pentagon established the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC, pronounced jake) in June 2018 under the Department of Defense's (DOD's) Chief Information Officer. In addition, the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 115- Updated October 23, 2019 232, § 1051) established a National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence to assess U.S. competitiveness in Al and offer recommendations to Congress. Lethal Autonomous Weapons Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) are a class of weapon systems capable of independently identifying a target and employing an onboard weapon system to engage and destroy the target without manual human control. LAWS require computer algorithms and sensor suites to classify an object as hostile, make an engagement decision, and guide a weapon to the target. This capability would enable the system to operate in communications-degraded or -denied environments where traditional systems may not be able to operate. LAWS generally do not yet exist, and some senior military and defense leaders have expressed concerns about the ethics of ever fielding such systems. For example, in 2017 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul Selva stated, I do not think it is reasonable for us to put robots in charge of whether or not we take a human life. Currently, there are no domestic or international legal prohibitions on the development of LAWS; however, an international group of government experts has begun to discuss the issue. Approximately 25 countries have called for a preemptive ban on the systems due to ethical considerations, while others have called for formal regulation. DOD Directive 3000.09 establishes department guidelines for the development and fielding of LAWS to ensure that they comply with the law of war, applicable treaties, weapon system safety rules, and applicable rules of engagement. Hypersonic Weapons Hypersonic weapons-which fly at speeds of at least Mach 5-are in development in a number of countries, including the United States. There are two categories of hypersonic weapons: * Hypersonic glide vehicles (HGV) are launched from a rocket before gliding to a target. * Hypersonic cruise missiles (HCM) are powered by high-speed engines throughout the duration of their flight. In contrast to ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons do not follow a ballistic trajectory and can maneuver en route to their destination, making defense against them difficult. Currently, no such defense against hypersonic weapons exists, and experts disagree on the affordability, technological feasibility, and utility of hypersonic missile htops:!crsreports~cong --ssq_

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most