Natalia Jevglevskaja
University of New South Wales
Rain Liivoja
University of Queensland
Introduction
Article 36 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions provides as follows:
In the study, development, acquisition or adoption of a new weapon, means or method of warfare, a High Contracting Party is under an obligation to determine whether its employment would, in some or all circumstances, be prohibited by this Protocol or by any other rule of international law applicable to the High Contracting Party.
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I) (8 June 1977) 1125 UNTS 3, art 36
A number of States party to AP I undertake legal reviews of weapons, means and methods of warfare as contemplated by this article. Some States not party to AP I conduct similar reviews as one mechanism for ensuring compliance with their general law of armed conflict objectation.
This page lists those States that have (a) published the documents(s) that mandate, establish or guide the legal review process; and/or (b) have otherwise publicly claimed to undertake legal reviews. References to relevant documents are provided where those are available.
Last updated on 26 March 2023. Comments or corrections are welcome and may be sent to .
Practice
| State | Governing document(s) | Review authority | Source / further comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Argentina | no information | no information | Argentina, Replies to Document CCW/GGE/X/WG.1/WP.2, Working Group on Explosive Remnants of War, UN Doc CCW/GGE/XI/WG.1/WP.10 (2 August 2005) ¶ 5(vii) |
 | Australia | Department of Defence, Defence Instruction Administrative Policy (25 July 2020) ¶¶ AG7.6–AG7.7 Department of Defence, Defence Legal Review of New Weapons Guide (May 2020) | Directorate of Operations and International Law, Defence Legal, Department of Defence | Australia, The Australian Article 36 Review Process, CCW GGE LAWS, UN Doc CCW/GGE.2/2018/WP.6 (30 August 2018) |
 | Brazil | Regulamento de Produtos Controlados [Regulation of Controlled Products], Decreto nº 10.030 (30 September 2019) | ||
 | Austria | No written policy; direct application of Article 36 of API | International Law Section, Federal Ministry of Defence | |
 | Belgium | Belgian Armed Forces, Directorate-General for Legal Support, Procedure specifique = Specifieke procedure, DGJUR-SPS-CJBCEJ-CXX-001/LEGAD-Int, Ed 001/Rév 000 (21 November 2018) | La Commission d’Evaluation Juridique des nouvelles armes, des nouveaux moyens et des nouvelles méthodes de guerre = Commissie voor de Juridische Beoordeling van nieuwe wapens en nieuwe middelen of methodes van oorlogvoering [Committee for the Legal Review of New Weapons, New Means and New Methods of Warfare] | |
 | Canada | Department of National Defence, Project Approval Directive (2015) s B.14.2.6 Canadian Armed Forces, Ammunition and Explosives = Munitions et explosifs, DAOD 3002-0 (24 August 2016) | Directorate of International and Operational Law, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Department of National Defence | Office of the Judge Advocate General, Law of Armed Conflict at the Operational and Tactical Levels, B-GJ-005-104/FP-021 (13 August 2001) ¶ 530 Canada, Statement on Agenda Item 5(a), CCW GGE LAWS (26 March 2019) Canada, Commentary by Canada on the Operationalization of the Guiding Principles Affirmed by the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, GGW GGE LAWS (2021), section 2(e) |
 | China | no information | no information | China, Statement, CCW GGE LAWS (morning session, 9 March 2023) 1:03:06 |
 | Denmark | Ministry of Defence, Cirkulære om folkeretlig vurdering i forbindelse med udforskning, udvikling, erhvervelse eller valget af et nyt våben og af metoder eller midler i krigsførelse [Service Regulation on the international legal evaluation in connection to the study, development, acquisition, or adoption of a new weapon, means, or method of warfare], CIR1H nr 9494 (29 May 2018) | Acquisition and Logistics Organisation, Ministry of Defence | Danish Ministry of Defence, Militærmanual om folkeret i internationale militære operationer [Military Manual on International Law Relevant to Danish Armed Forces in International Operations] (2016) ¶ 9.19 |
 | Estonia | Minister of Defence, Sõjaväerelvade, nende laskemoona ja lahingumoona käitlemise ning üleandmise kord [Procedure for the handling and transfer of military weapons, projectiles and munitions], Regulation no 9 (9 July 2018) s 7 | Estonian Defence Forces | |
 | Finland | Defense Command of Finland Decree | no information | Finland, Statement, CCW GGE LAWS (25 March 2019) Finland, CCW National Annual Report on Compliance (31 March 2020) Form C |
 | France | Ministry of Armed Forces Instruction (2019) | La direction générale de l’armement (DGA) [Directorate-General of Armaments]; L’état-major des armées (EMA) [General Staff of the Armed Forces] | Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées, Rapport d’information déposé en application de l’article 145 du Règlement par la commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées en conclusion des travaux d’une mission d’information sur les systèmes d’armes létaux autonomes, Assemblée Nationale (22 July 2020) 46–47 |
 | Germany | Federal Ministry of Defence, Zentrale Dienstvorschrift: Prüfung neuer Waffen, Mittel und Methoden der Kriegführung [Joint Service Regulation: Review of New Weapons, Means and Methods of Warfare] ZDv A-2146/1 (13 June 2016) | Steering Group for the Legal Review of New Weapons and Methods of Warfare, Federal Ministry of Defence | |
 | Israel | no information | Military Advocate General Corps, Israel Defence Forces | Israel, Statement, CCW GGE LAWS (11 April 2016) |
 | Italy | no information | no information | Italy, Statement, CCW GGE LAWS (9–13 April 2018) |
 | The Netherlands | Minister of Defence, Besluit houdende instelling van de Adviescommissie Internationaal Recht en Conventioneel Wapengebruik [Decision Establishing an Advisory Committee on International Law and the Use of Conventional Weapons] (5 June 2014) | Adviescommissie Internationaal Recht en Conventioneel Wapengebruik [Advisory Committee on International Law and the Use of Conventional Weapons] | Netherlands and Switzerland, Weapons Review Mechanisms, CCW GGE LAWS, UN Doc CCW/GGE.1/2017/WP.5 (7 November 2017) |
 | New Zealand | New Zealand Defence Force, Manual of Armed Forces Law – Volume 4: Law of Armed Conflict, DM 69 (2nd ed, 2018) ¶¶ 7.4.1–7.4.5 | Defence Legal Services, New Zealand Defence Force | |
 | Norway | Ministry of Defence, Direktiv om folkerettslig vurdering av vapen, krigforingsmetoder og krigforingsvirkemidler [Directive on the Legal Review on Weapons, Methods and Means of Warfare] (18 June 2003) | Chief of Defence International Law Committee | Ministry of Defence, Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict (2013) ¶¶ 8.9–8.13 |
 | Russia | no information | no information | Russian Federation, Potential Opportunities and Limitations of Military Uses of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, CCW GGE on LAWS, UN Doc CCW/GGE.1/2019/WP.1 (15 March 2019) ¶¶ 8–9 Russian Federation, Considerations for the Report of the Group of Governmental Experts, CCW GGE on LAWS, UN Doc CCW/GGE.1/2021/WP.1 (27 September 2021) ¶ 15 Russian Federation, National Implementation of the Guiding Principles on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems: Working Paper, CCW GGE on LAWS (1 September 2020) |
 | Sweden | Förordning om folkrättslig granskning av vapenprojekt [Ordinance on the International Law Review of Arms Projects] SFS 2007:936 (15 November 2007) | Delegationen för folkrättslig granskning av vapenprojekt [Commission for the International Law Review of Arms Projects] | |
 | Switzerland | Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, Ordonnance du DDPS sur l’acquisition, l’utilisation et la mise hors service du matériel = Verordnung des VBS über die Beschaffung, die Nutzung und die Ausserdienststellung von Material [Directive on the Material of the Armed Forces] AS 2018 1391 (28 March 2018) | Law of Armed Conflict Section, Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport | Netherlands and Switzerland, Weapons Review Mechanisms, CCW GGE LAWS, UN Doc CCW/GGE.1/2017/WP.5 (7 November 2017) |
 | Türkiye | no information | no information | Türkiye, Statement, CCW GGE LAWS (27 July 2022) |
 | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence Instruction on Article 36 Weapon Reviews | Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC), Ministry of Defence | UK Ministry of Defence, UK Weapon Reviews (2016) |
 | United States | Department of Defense, The Defence Acquisition System, DoDD 5000.01 (9 September 2020; incorporating Change 1, 28 July 2022) s 1.2(v) Department of Defense, DoD Executive Agent for Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW), and NLW Policy, DoDD 3000.03E (25 April 2013; incorporating Change 2, 31 August 2018) encl 2, ss 4, 11(c) and 13 (l) Secretary of the Air Force, The Law of War, AFI 51-401 (3 August 2018) pt 2 Department of the Army, Legal Review of Weapons and Weapon Systems, AR 27-53 (23 September 2019) Secretary of the Navy, Defense Acquisition System and Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System Implementation, SECNAVINST 5000.2F (26 March 2019) encl 3, ss 10–11 | Office of the Judge Advocate General of the respective service | Department of Defense, Law of War Program, DoDD 2311.01 (2 July 2020) s 1.4(a) Department of Defense, Law of War Manual (2016) ¶ 6.2 See also Department of Defense, Implementation of, and Compliance with, Arms Control Agreements, DoDD 2060.01 (23 June 2020) See also Department of Defense, Autonomy in Weapon Systems, DoDD 3000.09 (25 January 2023) |
References
In addition to the documents specifically cited, this page draws on the following sources:
- documents submitted and statements made by States at meetings held under the auspices of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
- direct communications with States
- Vincent Boulanin and Maaike Verbruggen, SIPRI Compendium on Article 36 Reviews (SIPRI, December 2017)
- International Committee of the Red Cross, ‘A Guide to the Legal Review of New Weapons, Means and Methods of Warfare: Measures to Implement Article 36 of Additional Protocol I of 1977’ (2006) 88 International Review of the Red Cross 931, especially 934, fn 8
- Natalia Jevglevskaja, International Law and Weapons Review: Emerging Military Technology under the Law of Armed Conflict (Cambridge University Press, 2022)