COUNCIL
ON FOREIGN
RELATIONS
PRESS
nonlethal weapons
and capabilities
REPORT OF AN INDEPENDENT TASK FORCE
SPONSORED BY THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
U.S. military forces, superbly capable of countering a defined enemy in
intense combat, are not properly supported for important current roles as
experienced in Kosovo and Iraq. If U.S. units and allied forces are to
prevent looting and sabotage, control individuals and crowds, stop
uncooperative vehicles in an urban environment, and protect themselves
in stabilization and reconstruction activities, they will require new tools
and proper training to accomplish these objectives without harming
innocent people or destroying civil infrastructure. Had more of the
current nonlethal weapons (NLW)––including nets to entangle and stop
vehicles, slippery spray, rubber-ball projectiles, and electroconvulsive
weapons such as the Taser––been available for use by military and
security forces, such events could have been minimized or perhaps even
avoided.
By providing an intermediate option between “don’t shoot” and
“shoot,” the Task Force observes, NLW have enormous potential in the
new military roles of modern combat. Wider integration of existing types
of NLW into the U.S. Army and Marine Corps could have helped to
reduce the damage done by widespread looting and sabotage after the
cessation of major conflict in Iraq. This Independent Task Force report
on Nonlethal Weapons and Capabilities finds that incorporating these
and additional forms of nonlethal capabilities into the equipment,
training, and doctrine of the armed services could substantially improve
U.S. military effectiveness.
Led by Dr. Graham T. Allison, Director of the Belfer Center for
Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School
of Government, and General Paul X. Kelley, USMC (Ret.), former
Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Task Force consists of former
military officers, business executives, academics, diplomats, and
congressional staff.
www.cfr.org
C O U N C I L O N F O R E I G N R E L A T I O N S
REPORT OF AN INDEPENDENT TASK FORCE
SPONSORED BY THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
GRAHAM T. ALLISON AND PAUL X. KELLEY, CO-CHAIRS
RICHARD L. GARWIN, PROJECT DIRECTOR
NONLETHAL WEAPONS
AND CAPABILITIES
NONLETHAL WEAPONS AND CAPABILITIES
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