When an angry mob storms your embassy, even the most diplomatic of diplomats may feel that détente and discussion are not enough. That's why the State Department has just ordered reloads for its embassy protection system which blasts intruders with CS "tear" gas.
The requirement for a more effective deterrent than a strongly-worded communiqué first emerged in 1980, after U.S. embassies in Tehran, Islamabad, Tripoli and Bogota suffered attacks. The embassy in Iran was assaulted by several hundred students who were initially deterred by armed guards. When it became clear that the guards would not shoot to kill, the students broke through the gates and took over the embassy, taking the staff hostage.
In response, the State Department laid out plansfor improving embassy defenses, including fortified panic rooms"with appropriate escape features" inside embassies and emergency communications gear. They also put in place measures so that embassy records could be destroyed at short notice... and talked about installing tear gas hoses in entrances and hallways so that guards could disable attackers remotely.
Little information has been released about the system, but this Special Notice announces the State Department's intention to purchase five hundred CS grenades (plus five hundred training grenades) from Nonlethal Technologies Inc. for a "Tear Guard System."
Tear Guard is described as an "electronically fired tear gas intrusion" system:
But why does it have to be this particular type of CS gas grenade? The specific munition is described in detail on the NonLethal website. A small explosive charge forces the CS (actually a fine powder rather than a gas) through exit ports in the grenade body; the blast is entirely confined within the grenade so there is no flame, blast or fragmentation. This is extremely important in an indoor environment; pyrotechnics can very easily start fires. It has been suggested that the blaze which killed a large number of people during the Waco standoff was started by a pyrotechnic FBI tear gas grenade . And the Iranian Embassy in London the building was gutted by a fire caused by a British SAS stun grenade.
Tear Guard may not stop determined attackers, but it should drive back most mobs and will gain valuable time. The new Presidential limo is also rumored to have tear gas dispensers for similar purposes. The military can't generally use tear gas -– technically it's a chemical weapon -– but nuclear facilities are likely to have similar nonlethal defenses; they also have unique sticky foam dispensersto stop intruders in their tracks.
Future non-lethal protection for fixed installations may come in the form of microwave pain beam generators concealed behind wooden or plastic panels. These are likely to be more effective than tear gas, and don’t leave an irritant residue which needs to be thoroughly cleaned up afterwards. It might cost a bit extra, but lavish spending on U.S. embassiesis nothing new.
[Photo: Wikimedia]
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