When it Comes to Weaponry, Lethality Is Not Enough

It’s time for the national security enterprise to take non-lethal weapons seriously. Yes, non-lethal weapons. The Defense Department has been trying to come to terms with the use of non-lethal weapons in military operations for at least three decades. In 1996, Congress directed the secretary of defense to centralize responsibility for non-lethal weapons development due to their potential widespread operational utility. Nearly 30 years later, after multiple policy and legal reviews, verified requirements, technology development, human effects studies, military utility assessments of promising prototypes, urgent operational need requests, and at least a billion dollars appropriated and invested, the Defense Department The post When it Comes to Weaponry, Lethality Is Not Enough appeared first on War on the Rocks.

When it Comes to Weaponry, Lethality Is Not Enough

It’s time for the national security enterprise to take non-lethal weapons seriously. Yes, non-lethal weapons. The Defense Department has been trying to come to terms with the use of non-lethal weapons in military operations for at least three decades. In 1996, Congress directed the secretary of defense to centralize responsibility for non-lethal weapons development due to their potential widespread operational utility. Nearly 30 years later, after multiple policy and legal reviews, verified requirements, technology development, human effects studies, military utility assessments of promising prototypes, urgent operational need requests, and at least a billion dollars appropriated and invested, the Defense Department

The post When it Comes to Weaponry, Lethality Is Not Enough appeared first on War on the Rocks.