TRANSFORMASI PARADIGMA ETIKA DALAM ILMU PERTAHANAN : MENGINTEGRASIKAN PRINSIP UNIVERSAL DENGAN KONTEKS OPERASIONAL

Abstract

This study examines the transformation of ethical and moral paradigms in defense studies as a response to the growing complexity of contemporary military operational environments. Advances in defense technology, particularly artificial intelligence and autonomous weapon systems, have expanded the spectrum of ethical dilemmas that cannot be fully addressed by universal and static normative ethical frameworks. Through a systematic review of defense ethics literature, moral philosophy, and recent empirical findings, this research highlights the limitations of dichotomous ethical approaches that rigidly separate normative certainty from operational realities.

The analysis demonstrates that universal ethical principles such as humanity, proportionality, distinction between combatants and non-combatants, accountability, and restraint in the use of force remain essential moral foundations. However, these principles require contextual reinterpretation to remain relevant and operationally applicable within modern military settings characterized by ambiguity, accelerated decision-making, and the involvement of autonomous systems. To address these challenges, this study proposes a hybrid ethical model that synthesizes the robustness of universal norms with adaptive moral judgment grounded in operational context.

The ethical implications of these findings underscore the necessity of systematically integrating ethics into defense education, military doctrine, rules of engagement, and the design of defense technologies based on ethical-by-design principles. By positioning ethics not merely as a normative constraint but as a constitutive element of operational planning and execution, defense institutions can strengthen moral legitimacy, ethical accountability, and the sustainability of defense practices within the global security order.