The Autonomous Arsenal in Defense of Taiwan: Technology, Law, and Policy of the Replicator Initiative

China’s military expansion and threats to forcibly reunify with Taiwan undermine U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific. Fully autonomous weapon systems, designed to be attritable and complete missions without human control in denied electromagnetic environments where communications are impossible, are necessary to support the U.S. military defense of Taiwan. To accelerate innovation and the fielding of fully and semi-autonomous weapon systems, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. Kathleen Hicks, launched the Replicator Initiative in August 2023. This effort, which aims to deploy thousands of “all-domain attritable autonomous systems” and other advanced capabilities, is currently helping the United States strengthen its military deterrent against China. The Department of Defense is making important progress in addressing autonomous weapon systems’ unavoidable and interrelated risks spanning strategy, technology, and law. Continued leadership from the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Defense Innovation Unit, and Indo-Pacific Command is crucial to mitigate these risks and preserve the current momentum for the development of advanced autonomous systems.