How, When, and Whether to Employ Non-Lethal Weapons in Diverse Contexts

Scott Savitz, Krista Romita Grocholski, Monika Cooper, Nancy Huerta, Keytin Palmer, Isabelle Winston

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Introduction

Background

Non-lethal weapons (NLWs) can be used to influence individuals’ behavior or to temporarily incapacitate either people or equipment, and NLWs employ a wide variety of effects to achieve these aims. For example, an acoustic hailing device (AHD) can be used to communicate or generate irritating sounds, an eye-safe ocular interrupter (OI) laser dazzler creates distracting glare, an Active Denial System (ADS) emits millimeter-wave energy to create a temporary heating sensation, and various electronic and mechanical systems can halt vehicles or vessels. NLWs are a subset of intermediate force capabilities (IFCs), which include other capabilities that might not have lethal effects, such as information operations, electronic warfare, and cyberwarfare.