stratos | The Law of Armed Conflict and Emerging Technologies: Legal, Ethical and Strategic Perspectives
The conference on «The Law of Armed Conflict and Emerging Technologies» (March 2026, AAL Lucerne) highlighted how geopolitical competition and rapid technological innovation are reshaping warfare and the application of international humanitarian law (IHL). While technologies such as cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and quantum computing are transforming the operational environment, participants agreed that the core principles of IHL remain unchanged, even as their application becomes more complex. Cyber operations blur conflict thresholds and attribution, AI offers both opportunities for improved compliance and risks linked to speed and uncertainty, and critical infrastructures such as undersea cables and cloud systems raise new regulatory questions. Quantum computing poses a future systemic risk by potentially undermining current encryption standards. A key conclusion was that human responsibility remains central: technology may support decision-making, but legal judgment and accountability must remain with human actors. Ensuring compliance therefore requires continuous legal review, integration of IHL into technological design and closer cooperation across legal, military and technical communities. The conference reaffirmed that respect for IHL is both a legal obligation and a strategic asset, essential for legitimacy, trust and long-term stability, and that safeguarding it in the face of technological change is a shared responsibility.
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stratos ist die militärwissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Armee. Sie richtet sich an ein Fachpublikum und an eine interessierte Öffentlichkeit und will relevante Themen zu Armee, Verteidigung, Sicherheit und Sicherheitspolitik zur Diskussion bringen. Sie erscheint zweimal jährlich in gedruckter Form und be steht daneben als digitale Plattform, auf welcher laufend neue Beiträge publiziert werden