Zoom in on non-lethal weapons: US report
Sleep-inducing gases, high-power microwaves and noises that disorient will play greater role in security, panel notes
WASHINGTON - The United States military must dramatically revamp its efforts to develop 'non-lethal' weapons - agents designed to disable criminals, terrorists and protesters, the National Academy of Sciences said in a report released this week after nearly two years of study.
SET TO STUN
The military and law enforcement have long used tear gas and rubber bullets, but high-tech non-lethal weapons dominated the news last week after Russian forces used an opiate gas to subdue Chechen rebels, killing 119 hostages they were holding.
The new report concluded that non-lethal weapons, such as gases that induce sleep, repulsive smells, noises that disorient and high-power microwave systems that stop engines, would play an increasingly important role in national security and should be made a strategic priority.
'Major changes in approach are needed to achieve the potential of non-lethal weapons for US forces in general and naval forces in particular,' the panel of top scientists, industry officials and defence experts said.
The report said the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, created in 1996 and run by the Marine Corps, had done a good job developing some non-lethal weapons for use by US troops, especially given that its budget was just US$25 million (S$44 million) a year.
But it said only US$1 million of that sum went towards new technologies, and far more work was needed to research new technologies - including chemicals, underwater defensive systems and entanglements - and ensure they could be fielded.
'Without compelling new ideas, non-lethal weapons will remain a specialty item in the war-fighter's tool kit and will never become an effective element of war-fighting,' the report said.
It said that of all the military services, the US Navy had the least experience with such weapons and should make a major commitment to integrating them into naval war-fighting plans.
'Non-lethal weapons are an additional way to provide greater security for military bases and protect our forces,' said Dr Miriam John, a vice-president at Sandia National Laboratories, who chaired the committee.
The study was ordered by the Joint Directorate and the Office of Naval Research before the 2000 suicide boat bombing of the US destroyer Cole in Yemen, but it had underscored the navy's need for more non-lethal weapons.
Noting rising demand for these weapons, the panel urged the military services to make research, development and acquisition of such weapons part of their in-house efforts, instead of relying solely on the joint directorate.
With an increased potential for combat in urban areas underscoring the need to minimise civilian deaths and damage, it also called for stepped-up research on possible detrimental effects of non-lethal weapons to pave the way for their implementation by military commanders worried about the safety of troops.
The report also noted the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention could impede development of some technologies, and more work was needed to understand the bounds of treaty constraints.
The committee said there was 'no single 'silver bullet' non-lethal weapons technology' given the range of applications and environments for such weapons, but identified 12 promising technologies for further development.
These included a high-powered microwave to stop vehicles; malodorants; foam that can expand to create rigid barriers; anti-traction materials; and lasers that would 'paint' perimeter warnings on the water around US ships.
It also urged the military to put a fresh emphasis on development of remotely piloted vehicles and sensors to warn of, track and pinpoint enemy threats. --Reuters |
