United States of America

The United States of America is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). It does not support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons.

In December 2025, the United States of America voted against UN General Assembly Resolution 80/57 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Mindful of the challenges and concerns autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, Resolution 80/57 stresses the urgent need for the CCW to address the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties of the CCW to ‘work towards completing the set of elements for an instrument being developed within the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts, with a view to future negotiation.’

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, the United States voted in favour of Draft Resolution L.77 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Draft Resolution L.77 raises concerns about the ‘negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability’ and stresses ‘the importance of the role of humans in the use of force to ensure responsibility and accountability and for States to comply with international law.’ It also notes ‘the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to urgently conclude negotiations of a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations for autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach.’ The Resolution will convene open informal consultations in 2025 over two days in New York, ‘to consider the report of the Secretary-General in full complementarity with and in a manner that supports the fulfilment of the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts in order to further the international community’s understanding of the issues involved by discussing the full range of views received, including proposals and relevant aspects raised in the report that may thus far not have been discussed in detail in the Group of Governmental Experts.’

The United States of America made a submission to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to Resolution 78/241 on autonomous weapons systems in May 2024.

In December 2023, United States of America voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. However, in its ‘explanation of vote’ statement, the United States reiterated its belief that ‘the time is not right to begin negotiating a legally binding instrument’ on autonomous weapons systems.^[1]Statement by the United States, UNGA First Committee, 01 November 2023. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1t/k1t5mdoxcp

At the second session of the 2021 CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS), the United States said that it believes ‘the existing IHL, and effective measures at the national level to implement IHL, are sufficient to address the challenges posed by LAWS.’ ^[2]Statement by the U.S., CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 27 September 2021, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k13/k13owhtps9; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the … Continue reading

At the same GGE on LAWS session, the U.S. also said that ‘we disagree that new obligations need to be established with respect to the development or use of LAWS… we remain unconvinced that a new legally binding instrument is needed in this space.’^[3]Statement by the U.S., CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 01 October 2021,https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1bxcti52f; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the relevant … Continue reading

Regarding human control over autonomous weapon systems, the U.S. has stated that it ‘does not agree with elaborating a new standard of sufficient human control’. ^[4]Statement by the U.S., CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 30 September 2021,https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1gjinrfym; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the … Continue reading At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, the U.S. said that ‘We remain of the view that human control is not a legal requirement as such, but rather is one means to help ensure compliance with IHL.'^[5]Statement by the U.S., 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 20 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/20Oct_USA.pdf

U.S. Department of Defense policy does not prohibit the development or employment of autonomous weapons systems.^[6]Congressional Research Service, ‘Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, 2021, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11150. U.S. Department of Defense Directive 3000.09 on autonomy in weapons systems, which sets out policy and guidelines on the development and use of autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons systems, was originally published in 2012 and was updated in 2023.