Allison’s Nonlethal Weapons Task Force Finds NLWs Could Have Saved Lives in Iraq

The role of non-lethal weapons in the military should be substantially expanded, according to a recent report from an independent task force on "Non-Lethal Weapons and Capabilities." Convened by the Council on Foreign Relations and co-chaired by Graham Allison and Marine Corps General Paul X. Kelly (ret.), the task force presented its report in March. Among its findings: nonlethal weapon use by US forces in Iraq could have saved lives and reduced damage from sabotage and looting.

Established in 1995, the task force examined the role of nonlethal weapons (NLW) in meeting the evolving challenges facing the US military, particularly in situations where friend and foe are not easily distinguished. "This issue," says Co-chair Allison," is an important part of the inquiry into how to transform the military to meet new challenges ahead."

The task force recommended that the NLW budget should be expanded to support projects to (1) extend the range of incapacitating NLW to 100 meters, (2) operationalize the system that deters adversaries hundreds of meters away by heating their skin without permanent injury, and (3) develop other advanced concepts.