What are the core legal, moral, and ethical principles that transcend technology? How can the SOF best prepare for the legal, moral, and ethical challenges inherent in new technologies? How can SOF develop personnel who understand the legal, moral, and ethical implications of new technologies? Legally, what authorities are needed to incorporate new technologies? What is the obligation to inform the SOF user of potential long-term impacts before use? Morally, are there any potential impacts of novel technologies on human rights, privacy, or environmental sustainability? What ethical dilemmas might be caused by a specific technology, and how can those dilemmas be resolved? How can a technology’s potential moral hazards and moral injuries be avoided or mitigated?
- Binzer, Maj. Hank, "Mitigating Moral Injury: Front-Line Defense against the Increased Risk of Moral Injury in Modern Military Operations," AFGC thesis, 2026, 36 pgs.
- Binzer specifically addresses the moral hazards introduced by remote and indirect forms of warfare, such as remotely piloted aircraft and long-range fires. He notes that while these technologies reduce physical risk, they actually amplify moral responsibility by removing traditional markers of risk, reciprocity, and immediacy. To mitigate the unique moral injuries caused by these technological advancements, Binzer emphasizes that leaders must formally acknowledge the ethical burden placed on operators rather than minimizing it as routine stress. By actively framing these morally ambiguous actions within a coherent moral narrative and creating space for ethical discussion, leaders can prevent operators from internalizing the lethal consequences of their remote actions as personal guilt and shame.
- Casey, Maj. Keith R., "Pandora's Box: The Race to Artificial Intelligence," AF Fellows paper, 2023, 3 pgs.
- Collins, Maj. Graham, "Artificial Intelligence: What Is It and Ethical Implications," ACSC elective paper, 2024, 13 pgs.
- Davis III, Lt. Col. Royal A., et al, "Air Force Cyber Law Primer," Published as an AU Press Perspective on Cyber Power Paper, 2022, 154 pgs.
- Gardner, Maj. Dennis Jr., "Check Your Understanding: The Ethical Application of Artificial Intelligence," AF Fellows paper, 2023, 3 pgs.
- Holloway, Maj. E. Minnenne and Maj. Bridget K. Pantaleon, "Warfare in the Age of AI: Upholding International Humanitarian Law amid Technological Advancements," AF Fellows paper, 2024, 12 pgs.
- Lennell, Maj. Matthew, "The Warrior and the Over the Horizon Map," GCPME thesis, 2025, 38 pgs.
- Lewczyk, Jonathan A., "Maintaining Human Authority while Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Commercial Aviation," AF Fellows paper (Georgetown, The Policy Issues of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence), 2023, 9 pgs.
- McFarlane, Maj. Brandon L, "Precision vs. Strategy: Evaluating the Joint Targeting Enterprise's Role in Achieving U.S. Long-Term Objectives," AFGC thesis, 2025, 42 pgs.
- McFarlane explores the profound legal and ethical dilemmas caused by modern precision strike technologies. He notes that the JTE's capabilities have frequently been deployed in legally ambiguous territories, such as stretching the outdated 2001 AUMF to justify drone strikes against ISIS in Syria without a distinct congressional mandate or host-nation consent. Furthermore, he highlights the ethical failure of command structures that executed strikes even when internal collateral damage estimation tools warned of the presence of women and children (e.g., the 2019 Baghuz strike). To resolve these dilemmas and uphold ethical principles, McFarlane recommends establishing a joint interagency legal review board to periodically re-evaluate the legal mandates of ongoing targeting operations. He also recommends appointing independent civilian oversight officers to standardize civilian harm tracking outside of the immediate strike authorization chain of command.