Citation

Pepper T. J. R. Nav. Med. Serv. 2012; 98(1): 37-40.

Affiliation

tom.pepper@virgin.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Royal Naval Medical Service)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

22558742

Abstract

Drones enhance military capability and form a potent element of force protection, allowing humans to be removed from hazardous environments and tedious jobs. However, there are moral, legal, and political dangers associated with their use. Although a time may come when it is possible to develop a drone that is able to autonomously and ethically engage a legitimate target with greater reliability than a human, until then military drones demand a crawl-walk-run development methodology, consent by military personnel for weapon use, and continued debate about the complex issues surrounding their deployment.

Language: en