A Framework to Integrate Ethical, Legal, and Societal Aspects (ELSA) in the Development and Deployment of Human Performance Enhancement (HPE) Technologies and Applications in Military Contexts
article
In order to maximize human performance, defence forces continue to explore, develop, and apply human performance enhancement (HPE) methods, ranging from pharmaceuticals to (bio)technological enhancement. This raises ethical, legal, and societal concerns and requires organizing a careful reflection and deliberation process, with relevant stakeholders. We discuss a range of ethical, legal, and societal aspects (ELSA), which people involved in the development and deployment of HPE can use for such reflection and deliberation. A realistic military scenario with proposed HPE application can serve as a starting point for such an iterative and participatory process. Stakeholders can discuss this application, modify its features, and design appropriate processes around it–for instance, procedures for informed consent. We propose that organizing aspects into these three categories–ethical, legal, and societal–can help involve appropriate interlocutors at different moments: legal aspects with people in strategy or management roles, from the start of a project; ethical aspects with people in operations and medical roles, during development; and societal aspects with people in communication and personnel roles, during deployment. Notably, we developed and discussed this framework and the three aspects in close collaboration with personnel from the military. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
TNO Identifier
1005598
Source
Journal of Military Ethics, 23(3-4), pp. 219-244.
Pages
219-244