Autonomous decision-making processes and the responsible cyber commander

Abstract

With cyber operations conceivably moving at near light speed, commanders in cyber warfare will likely need to rely extensively upon autonomous decision-making processes (ADPs) to be effective. For commanders to meet their obligations under the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and complementary Rules of Engagement (ROE), these ADPs must function in a manner compliant with both. To better understand how such ADPs might be effectively used, it is important to consider the operational challenges cyber commanders face in conducting cyber warfare, the different options available to cyber commanders to decrease the time frame required for making effective, LOAC-compliant decisions, and how ethical ADPs might be created. To that end, this paper focuses on the development of programme architecture and procedures that will be necessary to meet LOAC and ROE requirements, rather than the applicable law or potential ROE.