The Just War Theory and the Ethical Governance of Research

Innovation, Inequalities, and Impacts: Countering Non-Anticipated Effects of the European ICT Research

Introduction to Call for Papers on Ethics of War

Rapid developments in biotechnology, genetics and genomics are undoubtedly creating a variety of environmental, ethical, political and social challenges for advanced societies. But they also have severe implications for international peace and security because they open up tremendous avenues for the creation of new biological weapons. The genetically engineered ‘superbug’—highly lethal and resistant to environmental influence or any medical treatment—is only a small part of this story. Much more alarming, from an arms‐control perspective, are the possibilities of developing completely novel weapons on the basis of knowledge provided by biomedical research—developments that are already taking place. Such weapons, designed for new types of conflicts and warfare scenarios, secret operations or sabotage activities, are not mere science fiction, but are increasingly becoming a reality that we have to face. Here, we provide a systematic overview of the possible impact of biotechnology on the development of biological weapons. The history of biological warfare is nearly as old as the history of warfare itself. In ancient times, warring parties poisoned wells or used arrowheads with natural toxins. Mongol invaders catapulted plague victims into besieged cities, probably causing the first great plague epidemic in Europe, and British settlers distributed smallpox‐infected blankets to native Americans. Indeed, the insights into the nature of infectious diseases gained by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch in the nineteenth century did not actually represent a great breakthrough in the use of infectious organisms as biological weapons. Similarly, the development of a bioweapon does not necessarily require genetic engineering—smallpox, plague and anthrax are deadly enough in their natural states. But the revolution in biotechnology, namely the new tools for analysing and specifically changing an organism's genetic material, has led to an increased risk of biowarfare due to several factors. First, the expansion of modern biotechnology in medical and pharmaceutical research and …

We are at the cusp of a revolution in the development of autonomous weapons, yet current arguments both for and against such weapons are insufficient to the task at hand. In the context of Just war theory, arguments for and against the use of autonomous weapons focus on Jus in bello and in doing so miss addressing the implications of these weapons for the two other aspects of that theory- Jus ad bellum and Jus post bellum. This paper argues that fully autonomous weapons would likely undermine adherence to the Jus ad bellum and Jus post bellum prescriptions of Just war theory, but remote controlled weapons, if designed with ethical concerns in mind, might improve adherence to all of the theory's prescriptions compared to war as currently waged from a distance, as well as help to undo the occlusion of violence which has been a fundamental characteristic of all forms of modern war.

We are at the cusp of a revolution in the development of autonomous weapons, yet current arguments both for and against such weapons are insufficient to the task at hand. In the context of Just war theory, arguments for and against the use of autonomous weapons focus on Jus in bello and in doing so miss addressing the implications of these weapons for the two other aspects of that theory- Jus ad bellum and Jus post bellum. This paper argues that fully autonomous weapons would likely undermine adherence to the Jus ad bellum and Jus post bellum prescriptions of Just war theory, but remote controlled weapons, if designed with ethical concerns in mind, might improve adherence to all of the theory's prescriptions compared to war as currently waged from a distance, as well as help to undo the occlusion of violence which has been a fundamental characteristic of all forms of modern war.

Paper 99870D, 15 S.

The continuous development of laser systems toward more compact and efficient devices constitutes an increasing threat to electro-optical imaging sensors, such as complementary metal–oxide–semiconductors (CMOS) and charge-coupled devices. These types of electronic sensors are used in day-to-day life but also in military or civil security applications. In camera systems dedicated to specific tasks, micro-optoelectromechanical systems, such as a digital micromirror device (DMD), are part of the optical setup. In such systems, the DMD can be located at an intermediate focal plane of the optics and it is also susceptible to laser damage. The goal of our work is to enhance the knowledge of damaging effects on such devices exposed to laser light. The experimental setup for the investigation of laser-induced damage is described in detail. As laser sources, both pulsed lasers and continuous-wave (CW)-lasers are used. The laser-induced damage threshold is determined by the single-shot method by increasing the pulse energy from pulse to pulse or in the case of CW-lasers, by increasing the laser power. Furthermore, we investigate the morphology of laser-induced damage patterns and the dependence of the number of destructive device elements on the laser pulse energy or laser power. In addition to the destruction of single pixels, we observe aftereffects, such as persistent dead columns or rows of pixels in the sensor image.

B a c k g r o u n d . The dual use of technologies has become a pressing issue in the field of innovation, particularly in the context of military and civilian applications. Historically, military innovations have demonstrated a significant impact on economic development and technological progress in civilian sectors. Specifically, technologies originally developed for defense purposes often find a second life in everyday domains such as medicine, transportation, and communication. The objective of this study was to assess the scope and characteristics of knowledge transfer between military and civilian sectors and to identify the key factors influencing the likelihood of dual use. M e t h o d s . The study employed several methods, including patent data analysis, semantic search, and econometric modeling. The primary data source was the PATSTAT database, which contains global information on patents filed across various countries between 2012 and 2022. Patents classified as military were identified using three criteria: inclusion in military technology categories in the International Patent Classification (IPC), patents filed by defense sector applicants, and keyword analysis of patent titles and descriptions. The sample included 1,6 000 patents, which were analyzed for citations in civilian patents. Probit models were used to estimate the probability of dual use based on patent characteristics, and survival models were employed to analyze the time to the first civilian citation. R e s u l t s . The analysis revealed that technologies with broader application areas, such as medical devices and electrical engineering, exhibit a high level of dual use (57.7 % and 65.2 %, respectively). In contrast, traditional military fields, such as weapons and ammunition, demonstrate significantly lower levels of integration into the civilian sector (25.4 %). Geographic analysis showed that patents from the United States have the highest share of dual use (64.5 %), whereas this figure for russia was only 5 %. The average time to the first military citation was 1,302 days, while the time to the first civilian citation was 1,316 days, indicating a delay in knowledge transfer to civilian domains. Dynamic analysis also showed that the share of dual use decreased over the study period, potentially due to the increasing specialization of military technologies. C o n c l u s i o n s . It was established that military innovations with a broader technological scope have greater potential for dual use. Such innovations are more likely to be applied in the civilian sector, particularly in high-tech industries, whereas narrowly specialized military technologies exhibit limited knowledge transfer. Geographic analysis confirmed the importance of national innovation policies: countries with integrated innovation systems demonstrate higher knowledge transfer efficiency. These findings underscore the need to develop strategies aimed at increasing the adaptability of military technologies and expanding international collaboration to enhance dual use.

Throughout the history of mankind there have been many wars of both local character and large-scale wars. At the heart of military actions necessarily lies the use of weapons, one type of which is chemical. Chemical weapons, the basis of which are diverse in their effect on the body and chemical composition of poisonous substances, began to be used for military purposes during World War I, namely, the first use occurred on April 22, 1915 in Belgium near the city of Ypres. Germany used gas cylinders filled with chlorine in this attack. The man who created this weapon was German chemist Fritz Haber, who became known as the "father of chemical weapons". Since that time, scientists from different countries began to actively study the effect of poisonous substances on the human body, synthesize their new types, as well as search for reliable means of protection against its effects. Throughout history, attempts have been made to ban the use of chemical weapons. In particular, after the end of the First World War, the Geneva Protocol was adopted in 1925, prohibiting the use of asphyxiating, poisonous or other similar gases in war. However, this agreement failed to limit the use of poisonous substances, which led to their further use, mainly in localized wars. Much work on the prohibition and destruction of chemical weapons belongs to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established in 1997 after the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction in 1993. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the history of chemical weapons for military purposes, as well as to study the activities for their prohibition. Literary data of recent years on the history of creation, use of chemical weapons and international legal agreements on their prohibition and destruction, the main types of toxic substances, means of protection against their effects are analyzed. Conclusions are made about the possibilities of chemical weapons use at present.

This paper describes a multi-UAV distributed decisional architecture developed in the framework of the AWARE Project together with a set of tests with real Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to validate this approach in disaster management and civil security applications. The paper presents the different components of the AWARE platform and the scenario in which the multi-UAV missions were carried out. The missions described in this paper include surveillance with multiple UAVs, sensor deployment and fire threat confirmation. In order to avoid redundancies, instead of describing the operation of the full architecture for every mission, only non-overlapping aspects are highlighted in each one. Key issues in multi-UAV systems such as distributed task allocation, conflict resolution and plan refining are solved in the execution of the missions.

The problem of multivariate nature is formed and solved, which is related to the modeling of logistics actions regarding various military equipment and weapons that enter the zone of military conflict. The relevance of the research is related to the comprehensive solution to the problem of the logistical nature of the supply and mastering modern various weapons by the military to create parity of forces in the military conflict zone. The current study creates a complex of logistic methods and models that allow analyzing training of the military, supply of weapons, ammunition and spare parts to the zone of military conflict, for the successful implementation of the goals of the military operation. This article analyzes the problem of using modern and diverse military equipment, which needs to be solved by systematically presenting military training in logistics, supplying various weapons from various manufacturers to the area of combat operations. The optimization model has been created to select and justify the composition of suppliers of weapons, spare parts and ammunition, in the context of risks that arise in the production and transportation of military cargo in a heterogeneous transport network. Optimization is performed in conditions of conflicting criteria: the number of new weapons; time and costs for the production and supply of military equipment; logistical risks. To study dynamic processes in the logistics of supplying weapons, spare parts and ammunition, a model has been created that allows, with the help of simulation agents, the investigation of the paths of movement of military cargo under the conditions of military threats and possible excitation of critical vulnerabilities in the heterogeneous transport supply network. An algorithm for forming the optimal delivery route at the minimum time under risks has been developed. Simulation modeling is used to estimate the movement time of military cargo, delays in supply, accumulation of risks in cargo transportation, consequences of threats and vulnerabilities in supply logistics, etc. This study examines the process of training the military by mastering new competencies for the use of various modern weapons in combat conditions. Simultaneously, the short terms of training of military personnel and the logistics of their transportation to training centers are considered subject to the threats and risks of wartime. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is ensured by a systematic representation of the logistics of supplying various weapons, spare parts and ammunition to the conflict zone, and a comprehensive solution to the research tasks set. The scientific novelty of the conducted research is associated with the development of new methods and models based on system analysis. The following methods were used: simulation modeling, models for optimizing, competence model for acquiring new knowledge by the military personnel. The results of the study should be used to select and justify suppliers of new diverse weapons and military equipment, train the military to use modern kinds and types of weapons, plan routes and schedules for the supply of military cargo to the area of combat operations, in conditions of wartime threats.

Clausewitz introduced an inclusive equation between emotionality and rationality with regards to the debates on the causality and practice of war in modern strategic thought. In Clausewitz’s theory of war, war is a process of governmentality composed by three types of actors: states directing war (leaders and decision-makers), armies executing war (combatants), and people supporting war financially and morally (societies). In this trinitarian scheme, war is a continuous, mutually constitutive interactional process with emotional and rational components both between conflicting parties, and within each side. The aim of this article is to discuss how Clausewitz integrated the emotion-reason equation in his theory of war, to explain through an actor-level analysis how emotions affect, change, and transform war, and lastly to discuss the mutual constitutive relationship between wars and emotions in the contemporary global durable disorder.

The aim of this research is to study the development as well as the known cases of military applications of laser technologies – from the first lasers employed in auxiliary systems to modern complex independent laser systems. For better understanding and systematization of knowledge about development of historical applications in the military field, an analysis of publicly known knowledge about their historical applications in the leading world countries was conducted. The study focuses on development that was carried out by the superpowers of the Cold War and the present era, namely the United States, the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, and were built in metal. Multiple avenues of various applications of laser technology in military applications were studied, namely: military laser rangefinders; ground and aviation target designators; precision ammunition guidance systems; non-lethal anti-personnel systems; systems, designed to disable optoelectronics of military vehicles; as well as strategic and tactical anti-air and missile defense systems. To summarize and compare the results, an analysis of a number of previous works was considered, which considered the historical development, prospects and problems of the laser weaponry development. The issues of ethical use of laser weapons and the risks of their use in armed conflicts, which led to an international consensus in the form of conventions of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, were also considered. As a result of the analysis, a systematic approach to the classification of applications of laser technology in military products by three main areas of development was proposed: ancillary applications, non-lethal direct action on the human body and optical devices of military equipment, and anti-aircraft and anti-missile defensive systems. Due to the constant comprehensive modernization of laser technology systems in use, it was decided not to use the periodic classification model, but to indicate important and key events that indicated the main directions of further developmental work. However, it is important to note that the main focus of historical development of laser weapons depended not only on the technological limitations of the time, but also on the military-geopolitical situation in the world.

This article tests the proposition that new weapons technology requires Christian ethics to dispense with the just war tradition (JWT) and argues for its development rather than dissolution. Those working in the JWT should be under no illusions, however, that new weapons technologies could (or do already) represent threats to the doing of justice in the theatre of war. These threats include weapons systems that deliver indiscriminate, disproportionate or otherwise unjust outcomes, or that are operated within (quasi-)legal frameworks marked by accountability gaps. The temptation to abrogate (L. abrogare—repeal, evade) responsibility to the machine is also a moral threat to the doing of justice in the theatre of war.

In connection with hostilities, the question of the development of the reliability of military vehicles (MV) remains relevant. Equipping parts and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with modern military vehicles ensures a high level of combat capability of the troops. At the same time, one of the components of the combat capability of military vehicles is their protection against the effects of enemy weapons.In the conditions of hostilities, increasing the security of vehicles ensures the success of military operations. The protection of the MV should be considered as an objectively necessary combat property of weapons and military equipment, which characterizes its ability to maintain its integrity and continue to perform the tasks set before them in the conditions of the overwhelming influence of the enemy. The probability of carrying out timely planned transportation of MV in conditions of overwhelming enemy influence can be estimated mathematically, which will allow, based on the totality of the obtained indicators, to assess the level of combat capability of a unit or a military unit both before the start of hostilities and during their conduct. A forecast of the state of combat capability of the troops during hostilities is impossible without an objective assessment of the security of the MV, as well as its changes during the battle. Therefore, it can be argued that the indicator of the security of the MV can be determined and integrated through the indicator of the probability of carrying out the transportation of the MV under conditions of overwhelming influence of the enemy. The scientific basis of research on the assessment of the level of security of the MV is: the theory of the effectiveness of the use of weapons and military equipment, the operation of military vehicles, the basics of the theory of MV reliability, the theory of probabilities and mathematical statistics. The concept of MV security is not defined by state standards, as a result of which various interpretations of this property arise. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to obtain a dependency for determining the level of security of military vehicle equipment when units perform combat tasks as assigned and to determine the influence of individual factors on it. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to obtain a dependency for determining the level of security of military vehicle equipment when units perform combat tasks as assigned and to determine the influence of individual factors on it.