Opposition lawmakers and peace organisations in Norway are up in arms over the government’s decision to develop a robot-controlled missile for its fighter jets. Critics are calling these missiles “killer robots” because they can decide to kill without human interference, reported The Local. The Norwegian Peace League said this technology may violate international law. The group called for a parliamentary debate about the move. Representatives of the Norwegian Peace League have warned it is against international law for Norway’s Kongsberg Gruppen to develop the Joint Strike Missiles (JSM). Ignoring the critics, the government decided that Krongsberg Gruppen will get 2.2bn kroner ($330m) more in order to develop the missile. Ronny Lie, communications director at Kongsberg Gruppen, wrote in an email to the Norwegian News Agency (NTB): “Remotely controlled solutions for demanding civilian and military tasks have become increasingly more important during the last years. The Norwegian high-tech industry needs to join this development.”
Responding to the critics, Norway’s Defence Minister Ina Eriksen Søreide assured Norway adheres to the rules in place from the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Norway is one of many countries developing weapons that can operate without human control or surveillance.