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Chadwick, Kara --- "Unmanned maritime systems will shape the future of naval operations: is international law ready?" [2020] ELECD 196; in Evans, D. Malcolm; Galani, Sofia (eds), "Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020) 132

Book Title: Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea

Editor(s): Evans, D. Malcolm; Galani, Sofia

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 6

Section Title: Unmanned maritime systems will shape the future of naval operations: is international law ready?

Author(s): Chadwick, Kara

Number of pages: 25

Abstract/Description:

As a clear demonstration of any nation’s approach to maritime security, navies are often the first line of defence against new security threats. As navies seek to exploit the opportunities offered by unmanned and automated technology to address those threats, it is clear that there are challenges to overcome in order to ensure that automated technologies comply with international law. Those challenges and the resulting legal uncertainty has led to calls for new or updated international agreements to regulate the use of increasingly unmanned ships and vessels. There is real concern that international instruments do not currently address the use of Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS), creating a loophole for those who wish to operate outside the law and confusion for those who want to operate lawfully. This chapter explores the development of unmanned maritime technology before going on to consider areas of legal ambiguity or challenge that will have important implications for the naval employment of UMS.