Year
2009
Abstract
Non-lethal weapons offer important and effective tools for protecting critical infrastructure, and it's time to address the challenges at regulatory, policy and industrial levels to make them accessible to facilities. Advantages of employing non-lethal weapons in defense of critical infrastructure offer less liability-incurring options for determining intent and are viable tools for effective area delay and denial strategies. Latest advances in technology offer long range effects that provide for optimal positioning of security forces. Non- incendiary technologies ensure that defensive actions don't result in catastrophic damage in and of themselves. Challenges and disadvantages associated with employing non-lethal weapons: -Policy and regulatory bodies are unfamiliar with newer non-lethal technologies and capabilities and haven't incorporated them into regulatory guidelines -Broad industry standards have not yet been established for these technologies -Use of force security policies and rules of engagement are not yet developed -Public law is generally silent on most of these technologies -Non-lethal technologies available today cover broad and diverse effects -Directed energy -Neuromuscular incapacitation -Optical, acoustic, radio frequency -Electro-muscular disruption -Kinetic rounds -Chemical Key message: Security may be confronted with threats that are not clear or defined. For example, are the intruders environmental activists or terrorists? Non-lethal weapons can provide the time to develop mitigation strategies.