The unregulated development and deployment of emerging technologies—referring to scientific and technical developments that, if applied in the military sphere, could have transformative effects on the future of warfare in unpredictable and potentially hazardous, destabilizing ways—could increase the risk of accidental and unintended conflict escalation. Whether manifested in new domains, new applications, or new military capabilities, these technologies can include hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities, cyberspace operations, counterspace capabilities, and the like.
The Arms Control Association (ACA), in conjunction with other experts and organizations, has proposed various measures to reduce such risks, as laid out in issue briefs, reports, articles in Arms Control Today, and more. To receive updates on developments in this field, join today or sign up for our regular updates list.
CHARTS | REPORTS |
The path toward finalizing a code of conduct for outer space remains unclear after delegates from 109 countries met in July to discuss the way forward.
The European Union says it is ready to begin negotiations on a final draft of its proposed space code, but several countries are still asking for more time.
China conducted “a non-destructive test of a missile designed to destroy satellites” on July 23, according to the U.S. State Department.
China conducted “a non-destructive test of a missile designed to destroy satellites” on July 23, according to the U.S. State Department.
Despite revisions made during a series of meetings, it is unclear whether a proposed code of conduct for activities in outer space will attract the support of key countries.
A report by the Secure World Foundation has presented new evidence that a Chinese rocket launch last May was actually a test of a new anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon.
After a November meeting in Bangkok, countries are continuing their discussions to iron out the remaining differences over the EU-drafted code of conduct for space activities.
Two recent UN resolutions created a new group of governmental experts to follow up on an earlier study that reached consensus conclusions on some of the most contentious issues of state behavior in cyberspace.