October 2007

This week’s question concerns a report from MSNBC that for the past four years, US military leaders have requested - and been denied - a non-lethal energy beam weapon called the Active Denial System, which is mounted on a Humvee or flatbed truck, and uses directed-energy beams that can penetrate a few millimeters under the skin, causing pain. When trained on a crowd, the pain makes them disperse. An Air Force science advisor believes the system should become an immediate priority in Iraq, but the International Red Cross, other non-profit organizations, and other governments are concerned that the use of energy-based weapons breaks the Geneva Convention on torture. What do you think? Should our military be allowed to use non-lethal energy beam weapons?

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