# Autonomous Weapons **Entity class:** Weapons and policy category ## Definition **Autonomous weapons** are weapon systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further operator intervention within the parameters of their design and authorization. Their analysis joins sensing, classification, control, human-machine interaction, reliability, escalation, and law. ## Relevance to this collection It connects [[wiki/Paul Scharre|Paul Scharre]], [[wiki/Human-Machine Teaming|Human-Machine Teaming]], [[wiki/Military AI|Military AI]], and [[wiki/AI Warfare|AI Warfare]]. ## Relationships - **master collection:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]]. - **intellectual neighborhood:** [[wiki/Intellectual Neighborhood of the Counterterrorism Collection|Intellectual Neighborhood of the Counterterrorism Collection]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [U.S. Department of Defense Directive 3000.09, *Autonomy in Weapon Systems*, January 25, 2023](https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/300009p.pdf). **As of:** 2026-09-23