Feb 2019 – Dec 2019
On 6 October, Senior Researcher Bruno Oliveira Martins presented PRIO research at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Expert Group Meeting on Vulnerable Targets and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). In his address on UAS threats against vulnerable targets, Bruno focused on the nature of the threat posed by non-cooperative drones, the technological means to respond to it, and the societal, human rights and regulatory problems that persist today.
Bruno Oliveira Martins was interviewed by CNN for a news video focusing on the use of drones during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video report illustrates the different uses of drones, from humanitarian relief to surveillance, and it showcases both the potential of drone technology and the problems associated with it.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense has awarded funding to the project proposal 'Counter-Drone Systems: Implications for Norway in an EU and NATO Context'. PRIO Senior Researcher Bruno Oliveira Martins will head the project. Arthur Holland Michel from the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College will also contribute.
The need for counter-drone systems has become apparent with a recent rash of incidents at airports, where a simple drone can shut down the entire facility. But the implications for greater threats, such as terrorism and warfare, are even more pressing.