Anti-War Doctrine: Prohibiting the Use of Human Lives

In Warfare

Ian Y.H. Chua

1, 2, 3, 4

10 March 2025

Introduction

War has long been a catastrophic force that inicts profound human suering. In an era

of advanced technology and diplomatic progress, the continued use of human lives in

warfare is both ethically indefensible and strategically unnecessary. The Anti-War

Doctrine advocates for a complete prohibition on the deployment of soldiers in combat

and the elimination of civilian casualties. Instead, it proposes the exclusive use of

autonomous systems, cyber warfare, and diplomatic interventions to resolve conicts

without human loss. This paper examines the ethical, technological, and operational

foundations of a war doctrine that eliminates human participation from armed conict.

Ethical Imperatives for a No-Human Warfare Doctrine

The fundamental principle of warfare must be the absolute preservation of human life.

The Just War Theory, which traditionally emphasizes necessity, proportionality, and

distinction, must evolve to demand the complete removal of human combatants. The

use of human soldiers and the resulting civilian casualties constitute moral failures that

must be prevented through binding international laws. Governments must recognize that

technological alternatives to traditional warfare render the loss of life both avoidable and

inexcusable. War crimes and violations of humanitarian laws often stem from human

involvement in combat, reinforcing the need for automated, non-lethal military

strategies.

Technological Alternatives to Human Combatants

Modern advancements make the deployment of human soldiers obsolete. Precision-

guided munitions, articial intelligence (AI)-driven combat systems, and unmanned

aerial and ground vehicles enable military operations without endangering lives. Cyber

warfare can disable enemy capabilities without inicting physical harm, while space-

based and electronic warfare systems can neutralize threats preemptively. Robotics and

autonomous systems should be exclusively employed for defense, ensuring conicts can

be managed with minimal destruction. Furthermore, the development of non-lethal,

incapacitating technologies—such as electromagnetic pulses (EMP), directed energy

weapons, and AI-driven surveillance—oers the means to neutralize threats without

human fatalities.

Strategies for Fighting an Enemy Without Human or Enemy Losses

A truly ethical warfare doctrine must also seek to prevent loss of life on the enemy side.

This can be achieved through non-lethal incapacitation strategies, such as the use of AI-

driven disarmament systems, mass communication campaigns for de-escalation, and

targeted cyber warfare that neutralizes military infrastructure without causing casualties.

Psychological warfare and AI-powered negotiation systems can be employed to resolve

conicts before they escalate. Additionally, the use of nanotechnology and precision-

based electromagnetic disruption can render enemy weaponry inoperative without

harming personnel. Such methods ensure that both sides emerge from conicts without

unnecessary suering.

Minimizing Loss and Rescue Strategies if the Enemy Uses Human Soldiers

If an adversary continues to deploy human soldiers despite the Anti-War Doctrine,

strategies must be implemented to neutralize threats while prioritizing the rescue and

preservation of enemy lives. Autonomous defense systems should focus on non-lethal

engagement, such as disabling enemy equipment, severing communication lines, and

utilizing non-lethal incapacitation methods like electromagnetic pulses or sonic

deterrents. AI-driven surveillance systems can detect enemy soldiers and issue

warnings, allowing them opportunities to retreat or surrender safely. Additionally,

humanitarian corridors must be established in conict zones to provide medical aid and

facilitate the safe evacuation of combatants. Captured soldiers should be treated with

dignity and rehabilitated into peaceful societies through diplomatic eorts.

Research, Education, and Development of Advanced Military Technology

To successfully transition away from human involvement in warfare, signicant

investments must be made in research, education, and technological development.

Military personnel must be retrained to operate and manage advanced defense systems

rather than engaging in direct combat. This involves higher education in AI systems, cyber

defense, robotics, and strategic diplomacy. Governments should establish military

research institutes dedicated to developing cutting-edge, non-lethal warfare technology.

Universities and defense institutions must collaborate to create specialized programs

that prepare soldiers for roles in technology-driven defense sectors, ensuring that their

expertise contributes to global security rather than indiscriminate destruction. By

providing soldiers with sophisticated career opportunities, the need for human sacrice

in warfare is rendered obsolete.

The Need for a Global Anti-War Treaty Organization

To enforce the prohibition of human involvement in warfare, a Global Anti-War Treaty

Organization (GAWTO) must be established. This organization will oversee the gradual

elimination of human participation in armed conicts, enforce compliance through

economic sanctions, and facilitate peaceful conict resolution. GAWTO will work in

collaboration with international governing bodies to ensure that all nations transition to

automated and non-lethal defense systems. Additionally, GAWTO will be responsible for

promoting diplomatic negotiations as the primary means of resolving disputes and

imposing strict penalties on nations that engage in human-based warfare.

Banning the Manufacture of Weapons and Implementing Change in Stages

A fundamental step in eliminating human warfare is banning the production of lethal

weapons. A phased approach must be implemented to transition from traditional military

systems to advanced non-lethal defense technologies. The rst stage involves reducing

arms production and shifting focus to non-lethal alternatives. The second stage enforces

global disarmament, with nations dismantling their existing stockpiles under GAWTO

supervision. The nal stage ensures that conicts are resolved through cyber means,

economic strategies, and AI-driven diplomatic solutions, eectively rendering war

without casualties the new global standard.

Case Studies in the Shift Towards No-Human Warfare

Several nations have already begun reducing human involvement in conict. The U.S.

military’s increasing reliance on drone warfare demonstrates the feasibility of unmanned

operations. Israel’s Iron Dome system provides a model for automated defense that

prevents casualties. Furthermore, cyber warfare incidents, such as the Stuxnet attack on

Iranian nuclear infrastructure, highlight how digital interventions can disable enemy

capabilities without human casualties. These examples illustrate that the elimination of

human participation in war is not only possible but essential.

Conclusion

The Anti-War Doctrine demands an immediate and absolute prohibition on the use of

human lives in warfare. Ethical imperatives, technological advancements, and strategic

necessity all reinforce the urgency of this doctrine. Governments must commit to

exclusively using autonomous systems and diplomatic solutions to resolve conicts,

ensuring that war no longer results in human loss.

The establishment of a Global Anti-War Treaty Organization (GAWTO) and the gradual

banning of weapons manufacturing will ensure that military engagement is

fundamentally transformed. Research, education, and technological development will

provide soldiers with sophisticated career paths, shifting their roles from combatants to

skilled operators and innovators. By implementing a staged approach to non-lethal

conict resolution, the global community can gradually eliminate traditional warfare and

replace it with more humane and technologically advanced means of conict resolution.

Ultimately, war without human casualties must become the global standard, ensuring

that future generations inherit a world where armed conicts are resolved through

intelligence, diplomacy, and ethical technological interventions rather than through

human suering and loss.

Acknowledgments

This paper was developed with the assistance of ChatGPT 4.0, which provided insights and renements in the

articulation of philosophical and scientic concepts.

Founder/CEO, ACE-Learning Systems Pte Ltd.

M.Eng. Candidate, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.

M.S. (Anatomical Sciences Education) Candidate, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

M.S. (Medical Physiology) Candidate, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH.