Unmanned naval vehicles and the law of naval warfare

Robert McLaughlin*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    6 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This chapter examines the adequacy of the existing law of the sea and law of armed conflict in regulating and assessing the employment of unmanned vehicles in maritime operational contexts. On the basis of a general assumption as to the enduring relevance and utility of existing law in addressing the challenges of new technology in the maritime domain, the chapter focuses upon unmanned vehicles as a case study of how existing law can meet the challenge of describing and regulating the military applications of new technology at sea. To this end, the analysis concentrates upon two talismans fundamental to defining and understanding this relationship: (1) the status of unmanned vehicles at sea, most particularly in terms of their legal personality and access to flag state immunities; and (2) the poise and positioning of unmanned vehicles at sea in terms of the legal affront they may generate.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationNew Technologies and the Law of Armed Conflict
    PublisherT.M.C Asser Press
    Pages229-246
    Number of pages18
    Volume9789067049337
    ISBN (Electronic)9789067049337
    ISBN (Print)9067049328, 9789067049320
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2014

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Unmanned naval vehicles and the law of naval warfare'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this