Human Research Ethics Considerations: A Precursor for Ethically Implementing Advanced Technologies into NATO Military Operations.

摘要

It is well recognized that future NATO military forces will rely extensively on advanced technologies to enhance their mission essential tasks. Of particular interest are those technologies that are referred to collectively as Human Performance Enhancement (HPE) technologies. As addressed in this paper, HPE refers to the augmentation of physiological, psychological, perceptual, physical, and operational abilities through technological means to enhance performance capability in military missions. HPE technologies include (but are not limited to) those employing drug and gene doping, stem cell involvement, cognitive psychology and neuroscience, medical nanotechnology, adaptive information technology, and non-lethal human effects. All of these have the potential for improving military operations, but there are legitimate concerns that applying these technologies may exceed the limits of human capability and/or infringe on the rights of individuals. This paper forewords the case that ethically such concerns should first be addressed at the research level. In that regard, HPE research ethics considerations are given in terms of areas having the most impact in addressing the issue, viz.: (1) prior animal and other pre-trial testing, (2) informed consent, (3) privacy and confidentiality, and (4) monitoring research.