5 - 6 December 2023
The third workshop, in a series of interactive, two-day sessions, was held to operationalize the twenty-six recommendations of the Berlin Memorandum. During the interactive sessions, experts explored the threats, challenges, beneficial uses, and trends regarding Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to increase their understanding of how the technologies can be embraced, as well as how they are being exploited. The insights gained aim to help practitioners develop balanced policies that allow for a practical approach of UAS-capabilities while addressing and preventing terrorist exploitation of the technology.
The United Kingdom and the United States have partnered to bring greater awareness via a new Initiative, the GCTF Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems and New, Emerging, and Disruptive Technologies Initiative. Virtual workshops are included in this new Initiative and bring focus to the new and emerging technologies related to UAS by means of thorough, in-depth, scenario-based discussions and simulations to help apply the recommendations to national, regional, and international contexts. The Berlin Memorandum on Good Practices for Countering Terrorist Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (2019) provides additional insight into the challenges, providing good practices intended to inform and guide governments in identifying, developing, and refining policies, practices, guidelines, regulations, programs, and approaches for countering the terrorist use of UAS.
International attention of this emerging threat was recognized by the United Nations (UN) during its Seventh Review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) Res. 75/291 adopted in June 2021) and the renewal of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) mandate (UN Security Council Resolution 2617 adopted in December 2021) as well as during the UNSCR (UN Security Council resolutions) 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee special meeting held in New Delhi, India (October 28-29, 2022).