Kindler, Gentler Warfare

Periodically news stories appear about the next-generation weapons we currently under development. Some of these are improvements on things we already have (e.g., conventional bombs that make a bigger boom), but the most interesting are the non-lethal weapons that may change the future of warfare.

In this story is reported a device known as the Active Denial System. Excerpts:

WASHINGTON – Test subjects can’t see the invisible beam from the Pentagon’s new, Star Trek-like weapon, but no one has withstood the pain it produces for more than three seconds.

People who volunteered to stand in front of the directed energy beam say they felt as if they were on fire. When they stepped aside, the pain disappeared instantly.

“It tricks the pain sensors into thinking they’re on fire,” said Rich Garcia, a spokesman for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

Garcia knows firsthand. He was among hundreds of test volunteers, standing in a doorway with his back facing the device.

“They did a full body back shot,” he said. “It hit in the small of my back first. For the first millisecond, it just felt like the skin was warming up. Then it got warmer and warmer and you felt like it was on fire.”

He said he lunged out of the doorway.

“As soon as you’re away from that beam your skin returns to normal and there is no pain,” Garcia said. “I thought to myself, ‘Why you wimp. You know it’s not causing any damage. You’ll be able to override it.’ Each of the next three times, I was on there a little bit longer.

“The fourth one was the longest. It was about two seconds. It felt like my hair was on fire.”

The Active Denial System is only one of many non-lethal weapons under development (others are described in the story).

Should they become widespread, such weapons have the prospect of altering current understanding of just war doctrine. More on that tomorrow.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

3 thoughts on “Kindler, Gentler Warfare”

  1. It sounds almost like the effect of the gom jabbar used on Paul Atrides in Dune.
    He felt the burning pain while it was in the box yet there was no damage when he removed his hand.

  2. And you think there are torture issues now? When you can inflict such pain and leave no mark it is only a matter of time till it will be abused.

  3. I have to say, this would be great for something like barracks, etc. Point one at the door when everyone goes to sleep, and you won’t be able to sneak through.
    Bob- any technology can be used for evil by someone creative enough.

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