From 30 June to 1 July 2026, RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation, in partnership with the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), hosted the Workshop on Emerging Technologies and their Impact on Strategic Stability and Arms Control: Navigating Risks and Opportunities, at its premises in Rakitje, Croatia. The Workshop marked the first joint activity between RACVIAC and BASIC and was made possible through the financial support of the Republic of Austria.
The rapid advancement of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons systems, cyber capabilities, and space-based technologies is fundamentally reshaping the character of modern warfare and the broader international security landscape. While these technologies offer significant opportunities, they also introduce new risks for strategic stability and pose complex challenges to existing arms control and confidence-building frameworks, many of which were developed for a different technological era. Against this backdrop the Workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of the implications of emerging technologies for arms control, strategic stability, and international security, while enhancing their knowledge and capacity to assess the security, legal, and policy dimensions of these technologies. It also fostered regional dialogue and cooperation on responsible approaches to their governance and military application.
The event brought together more than 20 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and the United States.
The Workshop was opened with the welcome remarks by Ambassador Miroslav Šćepanović, Director of RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation, and Dr Manuel Herrera, Senior Policy Fellow and Programme Manager at BASIC.
Ambassador Miroslav Šćepanović highlighted the significance of launching RACVIAC first activity dedicated to the impact of emerging technologies on strategic stability and arms control. He also welcomed the establishment of a new partnership with BASIC, expressing confidence that cooperation would continue to develop through future joint initiatives. Emphasizing the need for arms control frameworks to adapt to an evolving security environment, he underlined the importance of strengthening national and regional capacities to understand, assess, and respond to the security implications of emerging technologies in a manner consistent with international norms and the principles of cooperative security.
In his opening remarks Dr Herrera emphasized that the diverse professional backgrounds of the participants reflected the multidisciplinary nature of the challenges posed by emerging technologies. While rapid advances in areas such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems offer significant opportunities, he noted that they also raise complex questions for international security. He stressed that sustained dialogue and international cooperation remain essential in ensuring that technological innovation contributes to security rather than undermining it.
Drawing on the expertise of Dr Manuel Herrera, Ms Eva-Nour Repussard, Mr Ching Wei Sooi, and Ms Mhairi McClafferty of BASIC, Ms Sofia Romansky of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, and Dr Mihael Mišo Mudrić of the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, the Workshop examined the implications of emerging technologies for strategic stability and arms control. Discussions focused on autonomous weapons systems and escalation dynamics, the cyber-nuclear nexus, space security and the prevention of an arms race in outer space, responsible approaches to emerging technologies, and their ethical and legal dimensions. The Workshop concluded with an interactive wargaming exercise, enabling participants to apply the concepts discussed throughout the workshop to realistic international security scenarios.
This event reaffirmed the growing importance of addressing the security implications of emerging technologies through international dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and regional cooperation.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence (In accordance with Arrangements regarding regional representation and cooperation).
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