Associate Professor Dale Stephens
Associate Professor Dale Stephens obtained his Arts degree (B.A.) from Flinders University in 1984 and his Law degree (LL.B (Hons.)) from Adelaide University in 1988. In 1989, he completed his GDLP at South Australian Institute of Technology and was admitted as a legal practitioner to the Supreme Court of South Australia. That same year also joined the Royal Australian Navy. He occupied numerous staff officer appointments throughout his 20 plus year naval career, including Fleet Legal Officer, Command Legal Officer (Naval Training Command), Director of Operational and International Law, Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Military Law (APCML) and Director of the Military Law Centre.
In Feb 2013, Captain Stephens RAN transferred to the Navy Reserve and took up a full time position as an Associate Professor at Adelaide University Law School. His operational deployments include East Timor in 1999 and 2000, and Iraq in 2005 and 2008. He has been awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal, the (US) Bronze Star and the (US) Meritorious Service Medal.
In 2004, Dr Stephens completed a Master of Laws degree at Harvard University Law School and taught at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island 2004/5. In February 2014 he completed his Doctor of Juridical Science degree at Harvard Law School. His dissertation topic is ‘Lawfare or Law Fair? The Role of Law in Military Decision Making’.
Dr Stephens is currently Director of the Adelaide Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics (RUMLAE). He is also an active board member of the Australian Yearbook of International Law and Chair of the South Australian Red Cross IHL Committee.
presents
‘The Increasing Militarization of Outer Space: Legal and Normative Responses’
It is becoming abundantly clear that the militarization of space is inevitable. New capabilities and weapons systems are being developed that will apply to outer space operations. Simultaneously military doctrine is being developed that will shape the manner in which such military operations will occur. Despite these developments, there is no clarity regarding how and in what manner international law might apply in those attenuated circumstances to constrain and regulate any developing hostilities or armed conflict. The global community is currently in a precarious place regarding this emerging reality.
This Presentation will examine the growing phenomenon of the increasing use of space for military activity and will canvass how international law may apply to condition behavior in a time of armed conflict. It will also provide a brief review of informal law making processes that are underway to influence thinking in this area and how such normative responses might fare in addressing this phenomenon.
