Pain Ray vs. Snipers

When your entire purpose in life is to hurt people, you're bound to be misunderstood. That's the situation with the Pentagon's pain ray – even though it might save lives as a counter-sniper tool.

For years, combat units have been begging for the Active Denial System, which uses millimeter waves to heat the very top layer of the skin. If it was lethal it would probably have been fielded years ago. But ADS is a non-lethal weapon. And in the field of non-lethal weapons, politics -- and perceptions -- rule.

A recent report from the Defense Science Board explains for the first time exactly why the ADS did not go to Iraq:

Army Rapid Equipping Force initiative in response to urgent need statement to field System 1... for Operation
Iraqi Freedom deployment (2005-2006)... however, the Office of the
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy deemed the intended mission
(detainee operations) not politically tenable, hence it has not been fielded for operational use.

After Abu Ghraib, it would have been politically careless to send a device specifically designed to cause pain for use on detainees. (Was that really the only request for it?) But wherever the ADS goes into action – if, indeed, it ever does - the report makes it clear that it's going to take some very careful media management.

*The ADS... can be integrated into aircraft, ship or ground vehicle using various ranges, power and effects criteria. The electron waveform works well on test subjects; however, the deterrent non-lethal effects, instantaneous heating of the skin, are new and different, providing a novel battlefield effect that__ will require significant education and awareness for military members and the general public to understand__. *(Emphasis mine)

The implication here is that, seven years after it was first unveiled, the pain beam is still not understood. Judging by some of the more hysterical claims surrounding it (like the story that says it's really a death ray), I'd say they were right. The high level of secrecy surrounding the problem, such as the failure to release details of an ADS accident, must be a major cause of this. If you want people to be reassured about the safety of a new non-lethal weapon, you have to allow some kind of independent scrutiny. Classifying everything about it -- power levels, waveform, range -- is not a good way to build confidence.

Elsewhere, the Weapons System Technology Information Analysis Centersuggests that the ADS' unique properties would make it the ideal weapon to ensure that a sniper never gets a second shot:

*The Active Denial System could be deployed with an integrated sensor suite to provide the earliest possible detection.
Automated cueing from infrared, optical, or acoustic sensors could be integrated with steering controls to provide an accurate aiming system.
Automated systems control with man-in-the-loop overrides would initiate a short engagement cycle to force the sniper to move. *

The beam bounces inside of enclosures (rooms, “hides”, etc.) to force a sniper to move. This nonlethal response increases the opportunity for positive identification and engagement with more lethal means.

Unlike other possible responses, the ADS will not endanger innocent bystanders, but will certainly force the sniper to shift position and possibly give himself away. However, as the Defense
Science Board explains, there's no sign of it being deployed:

Deploying the ADS for the first time will be precedent setting. As is the case with most new weapons, first time use of the
ADS will require approval by the Secretary of Defense.

ADS is now ready as a deployable directed energy weapon system.
However, as started earlier, ADS has not been approved for operational use in ongoing contingency operations.

ALSO:

* Iraq WMD Evangelist's New Crusade: Secret Ray Guns
* 'Ray Gun' a Lethal Weapon, Says Former OSI Agent

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