Department of Defense Nonlethal Weapons and Equipment Review

U.S. Army Nonlethal Weapons Program 3
The U.S. Army’s proactive approach for exploring, preparing, and providing new nonlethal
capabilities to respond to the increasing incidence of stability and support operations enabled its
rapid response to urgent needs before any formal operational requirements were generated. Later,
the Army built a stockpile to increase the availability of nonlethal munitions for emergencies
and rapid deployment until standard nonlethal components could be developed and distributed
through formal product management programs.
Since 1994, Commanders in Chief have continually issued urgent requests for materiel and
training to support U.S. military operations in domestic and international environments, leading
to the establishment of an Army Nonlethal Capabilities Set that includes four categories of items:
protective equipment, weapons and munitions, communication enhancement and other devices,
and training devices/allocations. These items are primarily designed to provide counterpersonnel
capabilities, area denial capabilities, and deterrent capabilities for personnel and vehicles. They
are ideally suited for use against individuals who jeopardize a unit’s ability to accomplish its
mission (e.g., combatants who use noncombatants as human shields or noncombatants who
themselves become a threat). Nonlethal weapons and equipment enable soldiers to engage forces
with the reasonable expectation of minimizing serious noncombatant casualties. In July 1999,
the Office of the Project Manager for Mines, Countermines, and Demolitions was assigned the
mission for the Army Nonlethal Capabilities Sets. This entity will field five sets each fiscal year
from 2000 through 2005.
The Army Nonlethal Capabilities Set is specifically designed to support Army units in domestic
and international ground operations where nonlethal capabilities do not exist. Future involvement
in peacekeeping, peace enforcement, humanitarian assistance, and homeland security missions
supports the demand for U.S. forces to retain nonlethal capabilities. The expected range of
missions requires a full and flexible set of nonlethal items. Nonlethal capabilities enhance force
protection and security operations by providing the commander with graduated response options
for crowd control, hostage situations, and clearing of facilities. They provide commanders with
weapons explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate personnel or materiel while
minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the
environment.
The Army Nonlethal Capabilities Set is a continually evolving entity. Its versatility and
capabilities will be augmented as nonlethal capabilities and items suitable for inclusion become
available through development efforts and/or commercial off-the-shelf enhancements.
Since 1995, the U.S. Army has rapidly responded to more than 20 urgent operational requests for
nonlethal weapons and equipment to bridge the gap between “show of force” and lethal fire in
peacekeeping missions. More than 150,000 rounds of 40 mm and 12-gauge blunt impact, smallcaliber
nonlethal munitions have been rapidly fielded using procedures originally established for
Operation Desert Storm. These nonlethal munitions have been used by the U.S. Support Group–
3 Program background provided by the U.S. Army Nonlethal Weapons Program Office Program Manager for Mines,
Countermines, and Demolitions, Picatinny, New Jersey.
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