Congressional Record: March 20, 2001 (Senate)
Page S2571-S2572
DIRECTED ENERGY AND NON-LETHAL USE OF FORCE
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a serious and
effective use of new technologies in our military operations. While I
will focus on a specific directed energy technology, the Joint Non-
Lethal Weapons Program Office is involved in many other research areas
that provide innovative solutions to our military men and women in
their daily missions.
Recently, the Marines unveiled a device known as Active Denial
Technology, ADT. This is a non-lethal weapons system based on a
microwave source. This device, mounted on a humvee or other mobile
platform, could serve as a riot control method in our peacekeeping
operations or in other situations involving civilians. This project and
technology was kept classified until very recently.
The Pentagon noted that further testing, both on humans and,
evidently, goats will be done to ensure that it truly is a non-lethal
method of crowd control or a means to disperse potentially hostile
mobs. The notion that the Pentagon is using ``microwaves'' on humans,
and especially on animals, has inflamed some human and animal rights
groups. Among others it has simply sparked fear that a new weapon
exists that will fry people.
This is not the case. And, unfortunately, few of the media reports
offer sufficient detail or comparisons to clarify the value of such a
system or put its use in perspective. While ADT is ``tunable,'' the
energy cannot be ``tuned up'' to a level that would immediately cause
permanent damage to human subjects.
The technology does not cause injury due to the low energy levels
used. ADT does cause heat-induced pain that is nearly identical to
briefly touching a lightbulb that has been on for a while. However,
unlike a hot lightbulb, the energy propagated at this level does not
cause rapid burning. Within a few seconds the pain induced by this
energy beam is intended to cause the subject to run away rather than to
continue to experience pain.
Such technologies have never before been used in a military or
peacekeeping endeavor. Therefore, there is
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naturally suspicion or fear of the unknown and usually the worst is
imagined. I believe this is unwarranted, especially when one considers
the currently available options in these types of military situations.
Think of 1993 in Somalia. The U.S. lost 18 soldiers and somewhere
between 500 and 1,000 Somalis were killed on the streets of Mogadishu.
The Somalis used children as human shields, and our military was forced
to fire on angry crowds of civilians, some civilians having automatic
rifles and grenades.
Peacekeeping operations are not void of lethal threats. Oftentimes
our military is confronted with armed civilians or situations where
unarmed, defenseless civilians are intermixed and indistinguishable
from persons possessing lethal means.
Regardless of the new Administration's approach to involvement of the
U.S. military in non-traditional operations, I believe these types of
missions will continue to be a staple of our military's daily
operations for a long time to come. Further, these missions often
involve situations that render U.S. soldiers vulnerable or threaten the
lives of innocent civilians.
I believe that the applications of directed energy technologies in
these and other operations can provide a more humane and militarily
effective approach. Active denial technology is merely one device on a
list of research and development endeavors currently underway by the
Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program.
I would encourage my colleagues to get briefed on the mission and
projects in the Non-Lethal Weapons Program. Further, I believe that the
tunability of microwave and laser technologies will offer a palette of
readily available options to address operational needs in both
traditional and non-traditional military operations, and I fully
support further funding of research in this area.
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