Maintaining Control Over Lethal Autonomous Weapons: Clarifications on the CCW-GGE Report

For over a decade, States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have met through the Group of Governmental Experts (CCW-GGE) to develop a normative framework for the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). When the Group presents its final report to the Review Conference this November, States will decide the future course of their deliberations about LAWS, including whether the report can serve as a basis for negotiating a protocol. Control over LAWS will remain central for such negotiations. This brief aims to inform any future discussions by clarifying the importance of deactivation/neutralization and mission limit requirements.