An Assessment of Non-Lethal Weapons Science and Technology (2003) / Chapter Skim
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2. The Current Status of Non-Lethal Weapons
2. The Current Status of Non-Lethal Weapons
Pages 23-72
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From page 23... ...
the current status of non-lethal weapons technologies and effects on the health of personnel against whom the NLWs are used; (2) the progress of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, the focus of DOD's joint activity in NLWs; and (3)
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From page 24... ...
to incapacitate individuals. Finally, barrier non-lethal weapons technologies include entanglement systems for stopping vehicles and sticky foams for use against individuals.
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The ring airfoil grenade launched by an M234 is an aerodynamically shaped, soft rubberlike ring that spins in flight and is accurate from 40 to 60 m. Stun guns in the form of air/water jets mounted on vehicles are designed for crowd control.
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Classes of compounds with potential for non-lethal antipersonnel use include riot control agents, malodorants, and calmatives. Riot control agents (RCAs)
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the development of the method of delivery that can rapidly provide the appropriate dose. The physiological effects of all calmatives that have been examined occur as a result of depression of the central nervous system, accompanied by mood alteration and respiratory depression.
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Low-Energy Lasers and Incandescent Devices ,. The category of low-energy lasers and incandescent devices includes laser dazzlers and flash grenades that use intense visible light to temporarily blind or disorient a person.
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The laser, its chemical fuel, and laser beam director would be sized to fit on an aircraft platform such as an Osprey tilt-rotor craft or a C-130 transport. For the initial version of the ATL, the targets would be selected by a human operator who viewed the scene through a separate aperture co-aligned with the laser beam director.
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Potential applications are crowd control or perimeter protection around an airfield or other sensitive area.
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Acoustic Technologies , ~ Acoustics have been considered as a non-lethal weapons technology to disperse crowds and to temporarily startle or incapacitate individuals. A wide variety of effects have been explored or proposed.
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Off-the-shelf stun guns are widely used in law enforcement because of their high degree of effectiveness. Their safety has received a moderate amount of attention in safety documentation by manufacturers, but little to no actual data are found in the peer-reviewed literature, and basic mechanisms are not well studied.
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From page 33... ...
In such cases, electrified fences may also prove useful. Barriers and Entanglements Barriers have been used as non-lethal weapons devices for many years by the Services, law enforcement and corrections, and the U.S.
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Enabling Technologies Technologies for Delivery of NLWs :+ 6 Important characteristics of delivery systems include range, payload capacity, payload flexibility, delivery accuracy, reusability, and specific applicability to allow deployment of a particular non-lethal weapons technology. By their nature, non-lethal weapons technologies often have limited range and some variation in effects.
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These craft could interrogate, assess, and warn of potential threats, deliver and apply a range of escalating non-lethal weapons technologies, and, ultimately, incorporate a lethal response. Smart buoys, teleoperated or autonomous robotic jet skis ("Roboskis")
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The boat operator responds and changes course away from the ship. · In a difficult crowd control situation, the decision is made to use calmatives, which must be applied within a specific range of concentrations.
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From Kinetic-Energy Sources While significant efforts have been made to understand basic principles of the trauma that can be caused by kinetic energy for example, in automobile collisions or sports injuries much of that work has involved masses and velocities much different from those of non-lethal beanbags and rubber bullets. Some recent work consists of phenomenological observations of human surrogatesanimals, cadavers, or physical models.
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Leap-ahead non-lethal weapons technologies will probably be based on more subtle human/RF interactions in which the signal information within the RF exposure causes an effect other than simply heating: for example, stun, seizure, startle, and decreased spontaneous activity. Recent developments in the technology are leading to ultrawideband, very high peak power, and ultrashort signal capabilities, suggesting that the phase space to be explored for subtle, yet potentially effective non-thermal biophysical susceptibilities is vast.
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From page 40... ...
The urgent need for NLWs by troops committed to existing operations drove the early activities of the organization. It engaged the problem of NLWs conservatively and focused on "the low-hanging fruit" that could be picked from relatively mature programs throughout DOD and within law enforcement, government laboratories, and defense industries.
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Capability sets or kits of NLWs and training programs for their use have been developed for Marine and Army units. The JNLWD recognized the shortfalls in understanding the effects of NLWs on humans and established the Human Effects Review Board (HERB)
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for large-displacement vessels were also of interest; however, after exploratory testing, these were terminated because of low operational utility. In contrast, the RGES successfully passed an independent technical review, and it continues to be developed by the Naval Surface Weapons Center and the U.S.
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The JNLWD has several technology investment programs that are ongoing or are being initiated. They include the following: · Non-lethal loitering system.
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Characterization and Assessment of Human Effects The JNLWD recognized early the importance of characterizing human effects resulting from non-lethal weapons. These effects can include health expects on the weapon user, on human targets, and on humans near the target, as well as the effectiveness of the weapon in creating the intended response from the target.
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· Human Effects Review Board (HERB)
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The Army also has plans to procure nonlethal weapons capability sets. Limited budgets and the urgency to field nonlethal weapons systems has understandably led the directorate to focus on fielding relatively simple weapons thus far: for example, non-lethal ammunition, flash-bang grenades, and riot control agents.
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The list of supporting technologies within that enabling capability does not include an explicit non-lethal weapons program, although a few could contribute to some of the non-lethal weapons technologies recommended later in this report.~5 In addition, there is no mention of NLWs in the enabling capability "defeat expeditionary/urban warfare targets wit) naval fires" under the Time Critical Strike FNC, in spite of the recommendations in the Sea Strike concept quoted in Chapter 1 and i5Office of Naval Research.
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48 AN ASSESSMENT OF NON-LETHAL WEAPONS SClENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Oena~me~.~.~: th~-~:$~ -- ~chnol~,,( In:-; ~ 998~:~th~ ~f - ~ .
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2.5 CURRENT NAVY PROGRAMS RELEVANT TO DEVELOPMENT OF NON-LETHAL WEAPONS CAPABILITY The Navy has had less involvement with NLWs than the other Services have. Standard procedures such as radio warnings, flashing lights, and signal flags or, if necessary, the traditional "shot across the bow" have served as a warning to any potential adversary and have been viewed historically as effective "non-lethal actions" where other vessels are involved.
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Recognizing the high probability of its involvement in similar operations in the future, the Marine Corps has conducted numerous experiments in the use of NLWs for military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) and for crowd control.
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The announcement received high-level visibility, including television news reports describing the systems and how they might be employed. NLWs taken on United Shield were riot control agents, low-kinetic-energy rounds, caltrops, the Saber 203 dazzler, the battlefield optical surveillance system (BOSS)
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. More than 30 of these capability sets are planned for deployment with the U.S.
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· In 1999 the Emerald Express experiment tested the use of light-generating weapons, including the BOSS and smaller dazzlers. Laser dazzlers were found to be effective only in some situations.
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; · Vehicle/vessel-stopping systems, such as the portable vehicle arresting barrier and the running gear entanglement systems; Riot control agents; Flash-bang distraction devices; Taser weapons; Foam weapons, such as rigid foams, aqueous foams, and slippery materials; Caltrops; Water cannons; and Obscurants. 2.7 OTHER MILITARY OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE Besides the experiences in Somalia and Vietnam described in the previous section, others provide insights into the use of NLWs.
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The British have also used high-intensity sound as a means of riot control in Northern Ireland, but it has met with mixed results and concerns about permanent injury. Laser-dazzle weapons are in service on British Royal Navy ships to harass enemy aircraft pilots.
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When the United States then became engaged in Kosovo, USAREUR again requested non-lethal weapons assets. The Army had begun initial development of non-lethal weapons capability sets, which USAREUR received.
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Some troops were provided with NLWs including OC (pepper spray) , plastic baton rounds, and beanbag rounds for shotguns.
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2.8 PROGRAMS IN OTHER SERVICES AND AGENCIES U.S. Army Non-Lethal Weapons Programs The Army Research Laboratory, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, conducted a program in NLWs from 1991 to 1995.
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In addition, the Air Force has the responsibility of maintaining the no-fly zone in Southeast Asia. The principal Air Force non-lethal weapons programs are in human effects at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and in directed energy, through the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
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The Coast Guard is enhancing its non-lethal weapons munitions and systems in coordination with the JNLWD. Today its M4/M203 provides both lethal and non-lethal capability in the same weapon and can fire a 40-mm foam baton as well as a sting ball round.
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From page 66... ...
While emphasis has been on the use of NLWs for drug interdiction, the Coast Guard anticipates a continuum of applications across a spectrum of missions. NLWs in Law Enforcement Non-lethal weapons technologies and tactics are an integral part of civilian law enforcement.
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These extractions often result in injury to the inmate and sometimes to the officers. There are more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States with a potential need for NLWs.
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Current technology used by more than 90 percent of law enforcement agencies is pre-emplaced barriers or tire deflation systems. However, boxing, barricading, and ramming are also used by many agencies.
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The total research budget for non-lethal weapons development is modest, and the NIJ program has tended toward leveraging past R&D or modifying existing weapons to improve and extend effectiveness. The NIJ also participates in several joint programs investigating non-lethal weapons technologies.
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Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted a study on non-lethal weapons national policy in 1999.36 It concluded that NLWs, if 36Swett, Charles, and Dan Goure.
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Joint Mission Area Analysis Conference On December 23, 1999, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and executive agent for the joint non-lethal weapons program requested that a joint mission area analysis be conducted. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC)
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~ .. -err · Expand the use of non-letha~ resources to the lull spectrum of conflict during participation in warfighting experiments and exercises; and · Undertake selected technology initiatives in high-power microwave systems, lasers, and other forms of electronic and information warfare.
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