IS REMOTE WARFARE MORAL?

Joseph O. Chapa has a doctorate in moral philosophy from Oxford, and is also an active duty lieutenant colonel in the Airforce, a Predator pilot, and a Pentagon ethicist and AI strategist. Needless to say, this varied experience gives him a unique position from which to write about the ethics of remote warfare.

In the 21st century, we have come to rely more on remote warfare - drone strikes, targeted killings, and other tactics - to conduct our military business and avoid putting "boots on the ground." Targeted killings of Iranian high government official General Qasem Soleimani and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki have caused international outrage. Air Force Officer Joseph Chapa, who also has a doctorate in moral philosophy, takes a big step back and considers the most fundamental question: is it the right thing to do - and if so, why?

Chapa considers important moral issues such as:
- What justifies military violence? Is it just risk? Is it the defense of others?
- What are the implications of the distance between war and warfighter on questions about courage, loyalty, and military honor?
- How does remote warfare relate to what we often think of as traditional warfare?
- What principles should we use to evaluate its morality, especially as the crew applies human judgment in a morally complex combat environment?

We are at a historical inflection point as leading military powers are increasing the use of remote weapons, broadening the scope of targeted killing operations, and turning to artificial intelligence to control their weapons systems. Is Remote Warfare Moral? is an essential read to deal with the complexities of the future of war.

Joseph O. Chapa is a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, he is the Air Force's lead ethicist for artificial intelligence and he leads the Department of the Air Force's Artificial Intelligence Cross-Functional Team. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Oxford. His areas of expertise include just war theory, military ethics, and especially the ethics of remote and autonomous weapons. His doctoral research investigates an individual rights-based account of just war theory. He is a senior pilot with more than 1,400 pilot and instructor pilot hours, many of which were flown in support of major U.S. combat and humanitarian operations.