Ethical Dilemmas in the Global Defense Industry: (Ethics, National Security, and the Rule of Law)

The defense industry develops, produces, and sells weapons that cause great harm. It operates at the intersection of the public and private sectors, with increased reliance on technology companies. Although such firms exist primarily to serve their host states, they routinely interact with foreign legal systems and diverse cultures. This context creates unique ethical challenges. That being the case, is the defense industry ethically defensible? How should it be regulated? How should it respond to worrisome technological developments such as autonomous weapons systems? How should business be conducted in countries where bribery is the norm? To what extent can this industry's intrinsic ethical problems be overcome? This book addresses such questions, bringing together the diverse perspectives of scholars and practitioners from academia, government service, the military, and the private sector. It aims to inform a discussion about the moral and legal challenges facing the global defense industry and to introduce solutions that are innovative, effective, and practical.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Foreword, Leo Mackay Introduction, Daniel E. Schoeni and Tobias Vestner PART I: ASSESSING ETHICAL NORMS IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY Chapter 1. Tobias Vestner, The Defense Industry's Contribution to National Security Chapter 2. Duncan MacIntosh, The Sniper and the Psychopath: A Parable in Defense of the Weapons Industry Chapter 3. Richard W. Painter, Fiduciary Duties of Officers and Directors of Military Contractors: Shareholder Primacy or Loyalty to the United States? Chapter 4. C. Edward Peartree, What Ethical Dilemmas? The U.S. Defense Industry and Foreign Arms Sales PART II: ETHICAL DILEMMAS RELATING TO NEW MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES Chapter 5. Thomas E. Ayres, Kevin Govern, and Michael W. Meier, The Ethics of Better Weapons: A Soldier Lawyer's View Chapter 6. Brian Green, Space Ethics for the Modern Warrior Chapter 7. Jeffrey Biller and Timothy Goins, Protecting Civilian Data in Armed Conflicts: The Need for an Ethical Foundation Chapter 8. Blake Hereth and Nicholas G. Evans, Artificial Intelligence and the Cost-Sharing Dilemma PART III: ADDRESSING CORRUPTION IN GLOBAL MARKETS Chapter 9. Philip M. Nichols, Defense Firms' Duties to Society When Presented with an Opportunity to Pay a Bribe Chapter 10. Mark Pyman, Tackling Defense Corruption: A

About the Author :
DANIEL SCHOENI has been with the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps since 2004 and is currently assigned to Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He has served as a prosecutor, trial and appellate defense counsel, program counsel, and staff judge advocate. He recently completed a Ph.D. in public procurement law at the University of Nottingham, has lectured at King's College London since 2017, and is a professorial lecturer in law at George Washington University. TOBIAS VESTNER is Head of the Research and Policy Advice Department and Head of the Security and Law Programme at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He has co-authored International Law and Policy on the Protection of Civilians (2022) and A Guide to International Disarmament Law (2019). He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, a Fellow at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. Previously, he was Research Affiliate and Global Futures Fellow at Georgetown University and Policy Advisor at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

Review :
This important volume asks deep moral questions about the defense industry. It confronts the difficult issues facing firms whose international business supports massive investments in national militaries. It urges them to look beyond profit maximization as the only legitimate corporate goal. The integrity of the arms industry is as critical to national security as the weapons it produces. This volume advances the discourse during a period of global turmoil when the need for vigilance could not be higher. This book brings a fresh perspective to ethical issues the arms industry has long grappled with. The authors are to be commended. This remarkable book offers a multidisciplinary approach to a subject that is obviously topical at a time when war is far from having regressed in our world. The contributors to this exceptional volume have masterfully brought light to areas long ignored. This unique collection provides much food for thought on multiple ethical challenges associated with arms production. It casts a critical eye on all actors and aspects and will be a useful resource. This book assembles a stellar roster who provide an in-depth look at the issues in the arms trade. A must read for academics and practitioners alike. The key concern of the collection is to expand the conversation about ethics in thedefense industry beyond narrowly defense-oriented, regulatory-focused discussionstowards broadly considered areas of technological innovation, public-private coordination, socio-political legitimation, and international competition.