Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow’s battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as this book makes clear, human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster.
‘...a must-read for military professionals and defense analysts.'
Maj. Gen. Simon Bernard, Deputy Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command
'An important examination of the myriad complexities and challenges involved in fielding practical lethal autonomous weapons systems that are so often glossed over...’
Justin Bronk, SRF for Airpower & Technology at RUSI
'...shows precisely why the principles and practices of international arms control and non-proliferation...need urgently to be revisited and modernised. ’
Prof. Paul Cornish, Strategic Studies & Director, University of Exeter
‘...provides a sound technical grounding in the things that make autonomous weapons work...makes this book an indispensable read for anyone looking to understand this area more fully.’
Samuel Cranny-Evans, Calibre Defence News
‘...an indispensable reference point for discussing the impact of automated warfare in the 21st Century and beyond.’
Prof. Anthony Downey, Birmingham City University
‘Don’t turn a blind eye, read this book; discover what you must do to make future generations thankful you lived.’
Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Michael Harwood CB CBE, Formerly Head of British Defence Staff US
‘Paddy Walker yet again uses his shrewd analytical skills to delve into one of the thorniest challenges posed by modern warfare...'
Karin von Hippel, Former Director General RUSI
‘An excellent book that emphasises the critical need for meaningful command and control...'
Michael Holm, Founder, owner & Chairman of Systematic
‘An insightful and sharply focused critique of the development of Autonomous Weapons...'
Prof. Shona Illingworth, Art, Film and Media, University of Kent
‘Some believe the future of war will look like SkyNet or the Matrix... Walker's conclusions may surprise readers.’
Prof. Sean McFate, Georgetown University, U.S. National Defense University
‘Whilst recognising the complexity of the challenge, this book makes a detailed case for rules to keep humans on the battlefield.'
Richard Moyes, Director, Article 36
'Even those readers who have been following the debates over autonomous weapons closely will find much to consider here.'
Laura Nolan, International Committee for Robot Arms Control
‘This thoughtful and well-researched analysis of one of the greatest challenges now facing allied forces should be required reading...’
Maj. Gen. Bill Robins CB OBE, Former Director General UK Defence Information & Communication Services, Senior Research Fellow RUSI
'Humans may, just may, become less evident in combat over the coming decades but their actions and decisions will remain critical to employing systems effectively. Read it.'
Prof. Peter Roberts, Former Head of Military Science, RUSI & Founder Aurelius Labs
'...I have not come across a text that manages so well to combine fine-grained technical detail with historical context and philosophical depth.'
Prof. Elke Schwarz, Political Theory Queen Mary University of London
‘...Walker captures a vast and interconnected technological landscape within a highly readable and compelling framework.’
Emily Tripp, Executive Director, Airwars
‘There are those that would present the unsupervised use of autonomous technology in war as a utopian ideal. I challenge them to read this book.’
Nicholas Valentine, Lead Engineer, Human Machine Teaming, Defence Equipment & Support, UK MoD
Publication: 24th January 2025
hardback: 9781912440580
paperback: 9781912440597
EPUB: 9781912440634
War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield
1. Introduction
2. Context: The role of context in the removal of weapon supervision
3. Drivers: Factors accelerating the removal of weapon supervision
4. Deployment: Models for the removal of weapon supervision
5. Obstacles: General challenges to the removal of weapons supervision
6. Wetware: Design challenges to AWS function
7. Firmware: Embedded process challenges to AWS function
8. Software: Coding challenges to AWS function
9. Hardware: Build challenges to AWS function
10. Oversight: Command and control constraints to AWS deployment
11. Conclusion
12. Appendix One: Case Study on Automatic Target Recognition
13. Appendix Two: A passing thought on the issue of AWS singularity
14. Selected Bibliography