NON-LETHAL WEAPONS: THE KEY TO A MORE AGGRESSIVE STRATEGY TO COMBAT TERRORISM
Abstract
Over the last 75 years the battlefield has transitioned from a conventional state versus state conflict to a more complex environment. This new battlefield involves non-state actors and takes place not in standard force-on-force battles, but among the populace. Organization have turned to terror as a means of impacting political decisions. This transition has contributed directly to the destruction of civilian infrastructure and perhaps more importantly, to the unintentional deaths of civilians. The presence of violent extremist organizations has increased exponentially over the past two decades. These groups not only live among the local population, they directly target the population through activities designed to instill fear through exceptionally violent acts. The proximity of these organizations to noncombatant civilians often adds a degree of complexity that causes responding forces to hesitate while attempting to intervene and rescue hostages or to engage terrorists while they live among the populace. Advances in technology have progressed to the point the United States must consider adapting its National Strategy for engaging terrorists in order to allow select organizations to utilize non-lethal weapons to engage terrorists. This change in strategy is necessary because it facilitates a more proactive capacity to engage terrorists while minimizing the threat to civilians. By engaging earlier, either through a pre-emptive strike or through direct intervention in an incident, US forces can deny terrorists the ability to complete their terrorist acts thus denying them the most critical weapon in their arsenal fear.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 03, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1038123
Entities
People
- Scott Sonsalla
Organizations
- Air War College