Legal Review of New Weapons, Means and Methods of Warfare

Military Briefings

Crown Copyright

Article 36 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention obliges states to determine, in the study, development, acquisition or adoption of a new weapon, means or method of warfare, whether its employment would be prohibited by international law.

Bearing in mind that new technologies are developed and presented to the public every day, the field of military technology undergoes the same exponential growth. These circumstances render the legal review of new weapons more complex and difficult. Cyberspace, increasing autonomy but also the growing connections between different systems on the battlefield pose new challenges to the legal review of a weapon.

This Military Briefing will address this issue from a practical perspective.

Speaker

Dr Mirco Anderegg is the Acting Head of International Law in the Swiss Armed Forces Staff. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Fribourg and the rank of Major. He advises the Swiss armed forces on issues of international law, particularly international humanitarian law and is responsible for the legal review of new weapons. In addition, Dr Anderegg is also the current President of the Swiss Society for Military Law and the Law of War.

Audience

This Military Briefing is primarily open to Geneva Academy’s students, who will be prioritized in the allocation of seats. External participants are also welcome provided there remains adequate seating.

About the Military Briefings

The Military Briefings are a unique series of events relating to military institutions and the law. They aim to improve our students’ knowledge of military actors and operations and build bridges between the military and civilian worlds.