RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.

 

Research and Commentary

Results:
Tag: military ethics

The autonomous system, Origin, prepares for a practice run during the Project Convergence capstone event at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Aug. 11–Sept. 18, 2020. Project Convergence is the Army’s campaign of learning to aggressively advance solutions in the areas of people, weapons systems, command and control, information, and terrain; and integrate the Army’s contributions to Joint All Domain Operations.

Aug. 18, 2026

AI Versus AI: Human Engagement Via SYNTHComm in AI Warfare

In the AAIRR journal, INSS experts Dr. Elise G. Annett and Dr. James Giordano propose and define a dialectical command framework that represents a synthesis of human cognition and artificial intelligence (SYNTHComm), which is designed to realign the ethics of force projection in an era of increasingly autonomous systems.

Screengrab of webinar "CYBORGUARDIANS: Ethical Frontiers of BCIs in Military Contexts," hosted by Arizona State University. Zeina Barakeh (left) speaks to Dr. James Giordano (right).

April 15, 2026

INSS Joins ASU Webinar to Discuss Ethical Frontiers of BCIs in Military Contexts

There are growing considerations of using current and emerging neurotechnology to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) aimed at optimizing performance of the joint warfighter.

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program dolphin trainers tend to their dolphins before a flight from Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., to NMMP in San Diego

March 4, 2026

Neuromodulating Mammals for Military Operations: Ethical Responsibility and Governance in Security Domains

Research into consideration and possible utility of employing marine mammals in military support operations is nothing new.

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Connor Rooney, left, a logistics officer with Combat Logistics Battalion 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, is awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal during CLB-24's Warrior’s Night as part of Mountain Training Exercise 1-26 at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, Feb. 10, 2026. Warrior’s Night is a tradition that usually follows major training exercises and is held to build camaraderie and celebrate accomplishments while honoring unit history through ceremony, toasts, and shared activities. Exercises like MTX 1-26 prove Marines’ ability to provide flexible and responsive combat service support during high intensity combat operations in contested and mountainous terrain. Rooney is a native of Illinois.

Feb. 27, 2026

A Phenomenologic Approach to the Warrior Experience and Ethos

Military identity emerges through the lived, imaginative, and moral experience of service. This paper introduces enchantment—the cognitive, narrative, and symbolic structuring of meaning—as a foundational dimension of military life that sustains commitment, moral coherence, and disciplined action under conditions of risk, ambiguity, and existential strain.

Cover Image for Journal of Military Ethics, Volume 24, Issue 3-4, (2025)

Jan. 8, 2026

Re-constructing and Construing the Warfighter: The Intersection of Bioengineering and Identity in Neurotechnologically Enhanced Military Personnel

Current joint warfighters are no longer merely trained — in many ways, they are increasingly bioengineered.