Norway’s Policy on Emerging Military Technologies

The document assesses Norway's cautious and ambiguous approach to regulating lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) and military AI. It highlights the tension between Norway's NATO commitments and the need for arms control diplomacy in the face of technological advancements by Russia and China. The brief identifies significant legal and ethical challenges, such as the lack of accountability for AI-driven actions and the risks associated with dual-use technologies, while noting that definitional ambiguities and the consensus-based structure of the UN CCW have hindered international regulatory progress.

• Norway's current policy on military AI and lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) is characterized as ambiguous and overly cautious, as the country has not taken a definitive stand in international forums regarding their regulation or prohibition.
• Norway's reluctance to lead international regulation efforts is influenced by its NATO membership, where some allies oppose effective regulation of AI-based weapons, and by ongoing security concerns regarding Russia.
• International regulatory progress is stalled by definitional disagreements over what constitutes 'autonomy' and the structural requirement for consensus within the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in Geneva.
• The use of autonomous weapons creates a legal and ethical vacuum regarding accountability under international humanitarian law, as it is unclear who is responsible for actions taken by AI systems.
• There is a growing risk associated with 'dual-use' technologies, where civilian R&D is adapted for military use, necessitating stricter export controls to prevent technology from reaching countries with human rights abuses.
• The Norwegian government has resisted total exclusion of LAWS manufacturers from the Government Pension Fund, arguing that the lack of a clear definition for LAWS would lead to the exclusion of systems the country may wish to develop.
• Russia and China are actively investing in disruptive military technologies; Russia focuses on AI for information warfare to offset conventional inferiority, while China pursues a military-civil integration policy.

APA

Stai, N. K., & Martins, B. O. (2021). Norway’s Policy on Emerging Military Technologies. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2a1ec4eb-868a-4cd8-a796-89810d7b707f/Stai and Martins - Norways Policy on Emerging Military Technologies PRIO Policy Brief 11-2021.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Stai, Nora Kristine, and Bruno Oliveira Martins. Norway’s Policy on Emerging Military Technologies. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2021. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2a1ec4eb-868a-4cd8-a796-89810d7b707f/Stai and Martins - Norways Policy on Emerging Military Technologies PRIO Policy Brief 11-2021.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stai |first1=Nora Kristine |last2=Martins |first2=Bruno Oliveira |title=Norway’s Policy on Emerging Military Technologies |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=November 2021 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2a1ec4eb-868a-4cd8-a796-89810d7b707f/Stai and Martins - Norways Policy on Emerging Military Technologies PRIO Policy Brief 11-2021.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stai2021norways, author = {Stai, Nora Kristine and Martins, Bruno Oliveira}, title = {{Norway’s Policy on Emerging Military Technologies}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2a1ec4eb-868a-4cd8-a796-89810d7b707f/Stai and Martins - Norways Policy on Emerging Military Technologies PRIO Policy Brief 11-2021.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }