Publication

This report examines the problems posed by autonomous or unmanned military technologies in the maritime realm, particularly those that operate underwater. Among other topics, the report's authors focus on 1) the factors that have led to the creation of autonomous marine technologies; 2) the civil and military applications of such systems; 3) the limited and therefore worrisome role that civilians play in testing autonomous technologies; and 4) the long-standing problems associated with underwater communications, which raises legitimate concerns about effectively controlling unmanned systems.