Counter-Drone Defense Systems in the Light of International Law

Abstract

The increasing use of drones, armed and unarmed, by states and non-state actors, in the framework of international and / or internal armed conflicts or in the absence of them, forces any State that intends to protect its citizens and infrastructures, as well as to its Armed Forces, bases and facilities, inside or outside the national territory, to equip itself with Defense Systems against Drones, particularly those of small size, reduced speed and limited height (LSS: Low, Slow, Small). This paper studies the types of existing systems and the critical assessment of their possession and use in the light of International Law. And it takes advantage of the recent adoption (January 2019) of a National Concept against LSS UAVs by the Joint Center for the Development of Concepts (CCDC) of the Higher Center for Defense Studies (CESEDEN) (Ministry of Defense), to also pronounce on this text in the light of current International Law.