The Utility of Non-Lethal Weapons in Large-Scale Conflict

Abstract

The increasing involvement of United States armed forces in Military Operations Other Than War has intensified calls for weapons that would fill the gap between Flexible Deterrent Options and application of lethal force. The effort and expense required to develop and field these proposed non-lethal weapons requires that their utility throughout the spectrum of conflict be considered. This paper presents an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of non-lethal weapons on three operational functions: (command and control, fires, and intelligence). The possible restrictions current international law would place on the use of these proposed weapons are also discussed. The analysis suggests that non-lethal weapons could create so many difficulties for the operational commander that their utility in large scale conflict would be minimal, and that scarce resources and budgets might be better directed towards increasing the accuracy of current precision-guided weapons.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 08, 2000
Accession Number
ADA379171

Entities

People

  • Benjamin K. Barrett

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control Treaties
  • Biological Weapons
  • Casualties
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Command And Control
  • Employment
  • Incapacitating Agents
  • Military Operations
  • Nonlethal Weapons
  • Precision-Guided Munitions
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Theoretical Analysis.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control