Mcdc) 2013-2014
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Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) 2013-2014 Focus Area “Role of Autonomous Systems in Gaining Operational Access” _____________________________ Proceedings Report Autonomous Systems Focus Area 1 This document was developed and written by the contributing nations and international organisations of the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) 2013-14. It does not necessarily reflect the official views or opinions of any single nation or organisation, but is intended as a recommendation for national/international organisational consideration. Reproduction of this document and unlimited distribution of copies is authorised for personal and non-commercial use only, provided that all copies retain the author attribution as specified below. The use of this work for commercial purposes is prohibited; its translation into other languages and adaptation/modification requires prior written permission. Questions concerning distribution and use can be referred to [email protected] PARTICIPANTS & ROLES: Focus Area Project Lead: NATO Allied Command Transformation Contributing Nations/Organizations: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States Observers: Germany, European Union, The Netherlands, Sweden The Netherlands formally joined this project as an observer but also made a substantial contribution. 2 Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Aim ................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 Background ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2.1 Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) ................................................... 5 1.2.3 Study Issues and Objectives ................................................................................................... 6 2. AxS Project Design ............................................................................................................................ 10 2.1 Approach ..................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Milestones: .................................................................................................................................. 11 3. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 16 4. Study Area Reports .......................................................................................................................... 17 ANNEX A: Typological Analysis Area Report: .................................................................................... 18 ANNEX B: Technological Functional Area Report............................................................................. 62 ANNEX C: Legal Functional Area Report ........................................................................................ 182 ANNEX D: Human and Ethical Functional Area Report .................................................................. 211 ANNEX E: Operational Aspects Study Report: ............................................................................... 220 3 Preface This document is a final product from the Autonomous Systems focus area, led by NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT), and conducted under the auspices of the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC)—a collaborative programme between 19 nations, NATO and the European Union. The Autonomous Systems project team adopted a guiding problem statement for project: “Coalitions need to improve awareness and understanding of autonomous systems, promote interoperability and provide guidance for the development of, use of, and defence against, autonomous systems”. The project conducted five studies: a definitional study led by HQ SACT focusing on the meaning of autonomy; a legal study led by Switzerland, which examined legal issues mainly concerning weapon systems with autonomous capability; a human factors and ethical study co–led by the United States and HQ SACT, which explored future ethical, organisational and psychological implications; a military operations study led by HQ SACT, describing operational benefits and challenges, and lastly; a technology study led by the Czech Republic, which summarised key technological developments and challenges. This report presents detailed study findings and records from the various workshops and seminars. This document was developed and written by the contributing nations and organisations of MCDC. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of any single nation or organisation but is intended as a guide and an exploration of the subject. 4 1. Introduction 1.1 Aim This report captures a record of activities and a detailed result of the studies conducted during the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) Autonomous Systems (AxS)1 Focus Area. The main purpose of the project proceedings report is to have a record of all activities, events and work performed from start to finish of the AxS focus area project. 1.2 Background 1.2.1 Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) The MCDC Campaign series is follow-on to the Multinational Experiment (MNE) series initiated by United States Joint Forces Command in 2001. A number of partners across the globe actively participate in MCDC. The campaign is an un-classified two year campaign designed to develop and introduce new capabilities to enhance the coalition forces operational effectiveness in joint, interagency, multinational, and coalition operations. While it maintains the foundational blocks that made the MNE series successful, MCDC Incorporates significant changes in scope, mission and governance that improve responsiveness, agility and relevance. The theme of MCDC 2013-2014 is Combined Operational Access. While the last campaign of the MNE series was focused on ensuring assess to and freedom of action within the Global Commons, MCDC takes the next logical step in addressing the Operational Access challenge by focusing on the versatile, agile capabilities required to project combined forces into an operational area with sufficient freedom of action to accomplish their mission. 1.2.2 Autonomous Systems Focus Area (AxS FA) For the purposes of supporting MCDC, NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) proposed a study to explore the opportunities and challenges posed by the use of autonomous systems in military operations within the framework of the MCDC Campaign. Particular attention in this project is paid to employing those systems as an important enabler for Combined Operational Access. The AxS Focus Area will attempt to bring more clarity to the debate over the development and use of AxS by the military2. Over the past decade, Unmanned Systems (UxS)3 have proved their value in military operations. UxS have evolved rapidly in both system complexity and operational use, and are increasingly gaining autonomous capabilities, meaning systems can act independently of human control and respond to different stimuli based on a set of rules and protocols and machine reasoning. Technological developments are rapid and autonomy will soon have a critical impact on defence and security, and become central to modern warfare. Prototype 1 The “X” in AxS is intended to convey that the Focus Area covers all potential domains of systems: land, sea, air, space, cyber, etc. 2 The Focus Area may also consider, if necessary, the use of AxS in non-military settings. 3 The “X” in UxS is intended to convey that the Focus Area covers all potential domains of systems: land, sea, air, space, cyber, etc 5 AxS are already operational. Known examples are self-driven cars4 or prototype drones, like TARANIS and X-47B, capable of autonomous mid-flight refuelling, autonomous evasive manoeuvres and target identification. While these prototypes are being developed, there is a limited understanding and agreement of what autonomy entails from a military perspective due to the lack of definitions and guidelines for their use. With the multiple opportunities come challenges of AxS, to begin with: - Insufficient awareness and understanding of AxS - Confusion in terminology - Legal, ethical, political dispute over AxS and UxS - Limited availability of related national studies and policies - Lack of AxS related standards and interoperability of COA campaigns - Lack of guidance for development and use of AxS Despite the controversial issues surrounding the ethical and legal implications, the military application of autonomous systems is inevitable and already pursued by some nations. The military community must build a thorough awareness and understanding of what AxS brings to the operational environment. It should develop clear and sufficient guidance and be at the forefront of the development and application of AxS. The problem statement adopted for the AxS Focus Area (AxS FA) is: In order to facilitate Combined Operational Access (COA), coalitions need to improve awareness and understanding of AxS,