Military Perspectives on CBRN Drone Autonomy: Balancing Trust and Control

The threat of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) incidents has become a growing concern for military and emergency response organisations, requiring the development of innovative strategies to improve preparedness
and mitigate risks. One promising approach is the use of reconnaissance drones - agile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - to support CBRN incident response. Reconnaissance drones can be used to quickly gain an overview
of the extent of a CBRN incident. They allow emergency services to gather information and assess the situation from a safe distance, without putting themselves in harm's way. At the same time, the increasing autonomy of drones requires
a high level of trust in the technologies used by emergency services. With a view to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), soldiers and conscripts of the Austrian Armed Forces specialising in CBRN were asked about their views
on the autonomy of reconnaissance drones as part of the C-Sals research project. The project is funded by the Austrian defense research programme FORTE of the Federal Ministry of Finance and is executed in close cooperation with the
Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence.