This publication is a compendium comprising multi-domain catalogues of scenarios that depict realistic operational contexts in which lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) could be used for targeting purposes.
This compendium offers a comprehensive, neutral and technical resource for States, organized around realistic illustrations of how international humanitarian law (IHL) principles and obligations may be considered in practice. The scenarios explore situations of both international and non-international armed conflict, organized into three domains of warfare: air, land and naval domain. Each scenario is accompanied by questions regarding IHL compliance relevant to the (potential) use of LAWS in that context.
The scenario compendium provides a framework to consider operational and legal questions on the use of LAWS and it can be leveraged for two main purposes:
- At the national level, the compendium may support efforts to carry structured legal analysis, which can contribute to the development and refinement of IHL interpretation, as well as the stress-testing of existing, or the development of, new policies, tactics, rules of engagements, etc.
- At the international level, the compendium can be leveraged for capacity building and confidence building. First, the scenarios provide ready-made constructs to explore legal and operational questions, especially useful for States with limited modelling capabilities. Second, in international discussions, the compendium can serve as a common analytical reference to compare and discuss interpretations of IHL and identify areas of convergence and divergence.
Citation: Giacomo Persi Paoli, Ioana Puscas and Yasmin Afina, Scenario Compendium for the Legal, Operational and Technical Analysis of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026).