About the Book
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.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Context: The role of context in the removal of weapon supervision
Drivers: Factors accelerating the removal of weapon supervision
Deployment: Models for the removal of weapon supervision
Obstacles: General challenges to the removal of weapon supervision
Wetware: Design challenges to AWS function
Firmware: Embedded process challenges to AWS function
Software: Coding challenges to AWS function
Hardware: Build challenges to AWS function
Oversight: Command and control constraints to AWS deployment
Conclusion
About the Author :
Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at RUSI and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War’s Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023.
Review :
‘Some believe the future of war will look like SkyNet or the Matrix. But it probably won't. Paddy Walker offers a precise analysis of the feasibility and desirability of autonomous weapon systems waging wars for us. Walker's conclusions may surprise readers.’
Professor Sean McFate, Georgetown University, U.S. National Defense University, and author of The New Rules of War
‘Pandora’s Box cannot be closed. We cannot uninvent; that which we only imagine will surely appear soon. History teaches that we are also prone to failures of imagination, surprised by other minds willing to unleash hell to upset the status quo. Nuclear weapons revolutionised warfare and deterrence yet were created before being understood. Artificial Intelligence is the next quantum leap. Paddy Walker explores the implications of humans being technically capable of handing over the decision to kill to a computer. 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 United States
‘Paddy Walker yet again uses his shrewd analytical skills to delve into one of the thorniest challenges posed by modern warfare - how to manage advances in technology so as to maintain control on the battlefield. Walker's approach is both practical and necessary so as to ensure that human decision-making stays central to current and future wars. A must-read for all students of military history and current conflict!’
Karin von Hippel, Former Director General RUSI
‘The allied military establishment is giving too little constructive thought to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS). This thoughtful and well-researched analysis of one of the greatest challenges now facing allied forces should be required reading for all diplomatic and military policy makers and their advisors.’
Major General Bill Robbins CB OBE, Formerly Director General UK Defence Information and Communication Services, Senior Research Fellow RUSI
‘This important book shows precisely why the principles and practices of international arms control and non-proliferation - too often considered to be mere relics of the Cold War - need urgently to be revisited and modernised. And with a view to the arrival on the battlefield of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, War Without Oversight makes a more fundamental point. If the organised use of violent force is to be ethically and legally constrained (and who would argue the opposite?) then humans must have oversight and must be responsible and accountable for decisions and actions taken in war.’
Professor Paul Cornish, Professor of Strategic Studies and Director, University of Exeter
‘Paddy Walker's "War Without Oversight" is a must-read for military professionals and defense analysts. It dives into the ethical, operational, and technological challenges of autonomous weapon systems (AWS). Walker emphasizes the need for human oversight to ensure compliance with international laws and ethical standards. Despite advancements in AWS, the human element remains crucial on the modern battlefield.’
Major General 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 or ignored by both novel technology evangelists and those campaigning to regulate and restrict lethal autonomy.’
Justin Bronk, SRF for Airpower and Technology at RUSI
‘Autonomous weapon systems are highly likely to proliferate in the near future, introducing new types of weapon and ways of fighting onto the battlefield as they do. The narrative that is told on the way is already shaping the way they are perceived and assessed. Few if any indicate that they will be short of game changing. But, as Walker shows in War Without Oversight, this outcome is far from certain. The book provides a sound technical grounding in the things that make autonomous weapons work, as well as the legal systems they will have to comply with, and some of the many frictions that all of this inherently builds into the design and development of truly autonomous systems. This technical grounding makes this book an indispensable read for anyone looking to understand this area more fully.’
Samuel Cranny-Evans, Calibre Defence News
‘Examining the technological, legal, statutory, moral, and ethical concerns that surround the deployment of autonomous weapons, War Without Oversight offers a rigorous critique of current proposals to transfer the authority to kill people to automated systems in contemporary theatres of war. Given the undoubted relevance and urgency of these concerns, and the import of Walker’s research into why we should question the apparent viability and efficacy of such systems, the volume is an indispensable reference point for discussing the impact of automated warfare in the 21st Century and beyond.’
Professor Anthony Downey, Birmingham City University
‘An excellent book that emphasises the critical need for meaningful command and control in lethal engagements to address operational risks, accountability, and the evolving norms of warfare. It fully strengthens my view that interoperability is the cornerstone of modern warfare, enabling seamless collaboration, efficient resource utilisation, and rapid decision-making among allied forces. It enhances operational effectiveness, strengthens coalition partnerships, and ensures adaptability to evolving threats, making it essential for success in contemporary conflicts.’
Michael Holm, Founder, owner and Chairman of Systematic
‘An insightful and sharply focused critique of the development of Autonomous Weapons that is grounded in an in-depth contextual analysis of the complex technical, political, operational, economic, ethical and legal issues involved. This very timely and necessary primer develops compelling arguments for maintaining human oversight and accountability in contemporary and future warfare.’
Shona Illingworth, Professor in Art, Film and Media, University of Kent
‘Walker considers the drivers towards autonomy in weapons systems and the diverse technical, legal and moral challenges that different forms of autonomy might present. He sounds a stark warning - piece-by-piece, autonomy is already happening, with human agency being ceded incrementally. 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
‘War Without Oversight is a clear-eyed view of the complexity which the emerging autonomous capabilities of weapons systems will bring to the battlefield (and beyond) in the coming decade. While dealing with anticipated technical advances in the coming decade, Walker manages to be grounded in the practical, drawing on and extrapolating from recent and ongoing conflicts. 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
‘War has always been a human endeavour yet much of the clamour today predicts a wholesale change in that due to the arrival of autonomous systems on the battlefield. The reality, however, is that speakers and authors who parrot these claims have detached themselves from the detail of what needs to happen in order for their rhetoric to be made real. Paddy Walker provides us with a corrective to that: educating and informing us about the challenges and hurdles that must be met in order to make autonomous systems work in war. The requirement for supervision and oversight is clear: 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.’
Professor Peter Roberts, Former Head of Military Science, RUSI and Founder Aurelius Labs
'War Without Oversight is a unique and much-needed contribution to the debate on autonomous weapon systems. I have not come across a text that manages so well to combine fine-grained technical detail with historical context and philosophical depth. Walker excels in spotlighting the challenging ways human-machine interactions are transforming war today. A must-read for scholars, activists, and policymakers alike.'
Elke Schwarz, Professor of Political Theory at Queen Mary University of London
‘This deeply researched analysis successfully balances both the technical and conceptual in outlining the applications of autonomous weapons on the battlefield. Painting a granular picture from modern day Ukraine to historic US naval actions, Walker captures a vast and interconnected technological landscape within a highly readable and compelling framework. This book raises essential questions for military practitioners, policymakers and researchers alike.’
Emily Tripp, Executive Director, Airwars
‘This is a vital contribution to the debate on Autonomous Weapon Systems. In painting the wider context within which these systems would sit, Paddy provides a well-informed argument on the need for human agency in warfare. 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 and Support, UK MoD
