June 26, 2017
Drones aren't missiles, so don't regulate them like they are
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a voluntary arrangement founded by seven countries in 1987 to prevent the spread of longer-range cruise and ballistic missiles with the potential to carry weapons of mass destruction. Today, the MTCR has 35 member states, and while containing cruise missile proliferation has proven difficult, it has effectively slowed the spread of long-range ballistic missiles.
With any regime focused on controlling specific technologies, though, there is always a risk that advances in the field will outstrip the initial regulatory framework. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened to the MTCR in at least one respect. When the regime was set up in the 1980s, remotely-piloted aircraft—better known as drones—had a lot in common with missiles. They were generally either target drones with limited utility, designed for one-way missions to test missile accuracy, or very short-range surveillance platforms. The MTCR was therefore set up to control them too.
Read the full article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
More from CNAS
-
Transcript from U.S. AI Strategy Event: “The American AI Century: A Blueprint for Action”
Transcript
On January 10, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a major U.S. AI strategy event. We are pleased to share the transcript of the presentations and panel d...
By Robert O. Work, Paul Scharre, Martijn Rasser, Megan Lamberth, Ainikki Riikonen, Dr. Lynne Parker & Olivia Zetter
-
The AI Literacy Gap Hobbling American Officialdom
Commentary
Rarely is there as much agreement about the importance of an emerging technology as exists today about artificial intelligence (AI). Rightly or wrongly, a 2019 survey of 1,000...
By Michael Horowitz & Lauren Kahn
-
The United States Needs a Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
Commentary
In the coming years, artificial intelligence will dramatically affect every aspect of human life. AI—the technologies that simulate intelligent behavior in machines—will chang...
By Martijn Rasser
-
America Desperately Needs AI Talent, Immigrants Included
Commentary
The United States is engaged in a global technology competition in artificial intelligence. But while the US government has shown commitment to developing AI systems that will...
By Megan Lamberth
