Force Short of War in Modern Conflict ― Jus Ad Vim

This book explores the overarching phenomenon of how force short of war is being used in modern conflict, and how it impacts just war theory. It shows that we need to bring the rules of war into alignment with increasingly digital means of conducting kinetic warfare through the force short of war paradigm.

The use of force short of war is now commonplace, in large part owing to casualty averseness and the explosion of emerging technologies, most notably drones, autonomous robotics and cyber. It often involves the selective or limited use of military force to achieve political objectives and assumes many forms. These include targeted killing, assassination, the establishment of no-fly zones, special-forces raids, limited duration bombing campaigns or missile strikes, and 'low intensity' counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.

Jai Galliott is Lecturer in Cyber Security at the Australian Defence Force Academy at the University of New South Wales. He is a defence analyst and expert on the ethical, legal and strategic issues associated with the employment of emerging technologies, including cyber systems, autonomous vehicles and soldier augmentation. His most recent publications include: Ethics and the Future of Spying: Technology, National Security and Intelligence Collection (Routledge 2016); Military Robots: Mapping the Moral Landscape (Ashgate 2015); Super Soldiers: The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (Ashgate 2015); and Commercial Space Exploration: Ethics, Policy and Governance (Ashgate 2015).