Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security

The Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security (APILS) is a specialist, independent not-for-profit organisation based in Australia. According to its official website, it seeks to advance national and international law as a means for achieving sustainable regional and international security, including human security. It also works to advance and promote the responsible development and use of technology for military and security purposes. Across all its activities, APILS says it strives to strengthen adherence to international law and to increase respect for the values inherent in the international legal order. APILS describes itself as a team of focused, internationally recognised experts with an in-depth understanding of legal issues related to conflict, peace and security. Much of its work focuses on the law of armed conflict, arms control law, and the governance of emerging and disruptive military technologies. The institute combines academic rigour with practical insight to help States and other stakeholders understand how contemporary security challenges can be addressed through policy and law. Its public-facing work includes the "Law and the Future of War" podcast, which explores how new military technology and international law interact through conversations with experts in technology, law and military affairs. APILS also publishes "Good Practices in the Legal Review of Weapons," guidance intended to support States designing or refining their legal review processes with autonomy in mind, and maintains an Information Portal on the Legal Review of Weapons that enhances transparency of national approaches to the legal review of new weapons, reflecting current practice and lessons learned with a focus on new and emerging technologies. The institute engages with multilateral processes. In a 2026 commentary, APILS analysed the final week of work of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) under its three-year mandate, the "rolling text" released on 5 June 2026, and the proposed path toward the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in November 2026. This illustrates APILS's role as a policy and legal analysis voice in international discussions on autonomous weapons and related security governance. As an independent not-for-profit, APILS does not present itself as a commercial vendor; its outputs are research, guidance, commentary and convening around international law and security. Its geographic focus is Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region, while its subject matter and engagement are international in scope.

The Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security (APILS) is an independent not-for-profit organisation based in Australia. Its official website states that it seeks to advance national and international law as a means for achieving sustainable regional and international security, including human security, and to advance and promote the responsible development and use of technology for military and security purposes. Across all its activities, APILS says it strives to strengthen adherence to international law and to increase respect for the values inherent in the international legal order. APILS positions itself as a specialist institute with a team of focused, internationally recognised experts with an in-depth understanding of legal issues related to conflict, peace and security. Much of its work focuses on the law of armed conflict, arms control law, and the governance of emerging and disruptive military technologies. It combines academic rigour with practical insight to help States and other stakeholders understand how contemporary security challenges can be addressed through policy and law. Among its public outputs, APILS produces the "Law and the Future of War" podcast, which explores how new military technology and international law interact through conversations with experts in technology, law and military affairs. It also publishes "Good Practices in the Legal Review of Weapons," guidance intended to support States designing or refining their legal review processes with autonomy in mind, and maintains an Information Portal on the Legal Review of Weapons that enhances transparency of national approaches to the legal review of new weapons, reflecting current practice and lessons learned with a focus on new and emerging technologies. APILS engages with multilateral policy processes. In August 2026 it published commentary titled "Crunch Time for the Discussion About Autonomous Weapons," analysing the final week of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) under its current three-year mandate. The commentary discussed the GGE's "rolling text," the most recent version of which was released on 5 June 2026, and the proposal to incorporate the finalised set of elements into the Group's final report and invite the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in November 2026 to endorse the elements and decide on next steps. This illustrates APILS's role as a legal and policy analysis voice in international discussions on autonomous weapons and related security governance. As an independent not-for-profit, APILS does not present itself as a commercial vendor; its outputs are research, guidance, commentary and convening around international law and security. Its geographic focus is Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region, while its subject matter and engagement are international in scope.

• The GGE on LAWS released the most recent version of its rolling text, which APILS later analysed in its commentary.

• APILS published commentary "Crunch Time for the Discussion About Autonomous Weapons" ahead of the GGE's final week under its three-year mandate.

• The GGE on LAWS was scheduled to start its final week of work under the current three-year mandate.

• The Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) was proposed to consider endorsing the GGE's elements and deciding next steps.

Specialist, independent not-for-profit think tank combining academic rigour with practical insight on international law, conflict, peace and security, with particular expertise in the law of armed conflict, arms control law, and the governance of emerging military technologies.

• Law and the Future of War podcast

  A podcast exploring how new military technology and international law interact through conversations with experts in technology, law and military affairs.

• Good Practices in the Legal Review of Weapons

  Guidance on legal reviews of new weapons, especially autonomous weapon systems, to support States designing or refining their legal review processes with autonomy in mind.

• Information Portal on the Legal Review of Weapons

  A portal enhancing transparency of national approaches to the legal review of new weapons, reflecting current practice and lessons learned with a focus on new and emerging technologies.

1. 1Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security | APILSapils.org
2. 2Crunch Time for the Discussion About Autonomous Weapons — APILSapils.org
3. 3Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Securitywikidata.org