Publication

This commentary considers what the growing prominence of medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) UAVs will mean for Germany’s armed forces, the European defense sector, and the ongoing debate about the ethics of automated warfare. In the latter case, the text worries that using MALE drones for 'airborne support' will necessarily lead to the automatic and unaccountable deployment of lethal means. It is for this reason that a comprehensive public debate on the use of this type of drone is necessary, or so the argument goes.