Directed-energy weapon
 Directed-energy weapon(weapon)   | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DEW |
| Interest of | • William Binney • Katherine Horton |
A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves and particle beams.
The TECOM Technology Symposium in 1997 concluded on non-lethal weapons, "determining the target effects on personnel is the greatest challenge to the testing community", primarily because "the potential of injury and death severely limits human tests".[1]
Also, "directed-energy weapons that target the central nervous system and cause neurophysiological disorders may violate the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention of 1980. Weapons that go beyond non-lethal intentions and cause 'superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering' may also violate the Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions of 1977."[2]
Effects
Some common bio-effects of non-lethal electromagnetic weapons include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Disorientation
- Nausea
- Pain
- Vertigo
- Other systemic discomfort.
Interference with breathing poses the most significant, potentially lethal results.
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski in his book, Between Two Ages, pointed to the development of technology which could be used for similar purposes:
In addition, it may be possible—and tempting—to exploit for strategic political purposes the fruits of research on the brain and on human behavior. Gordon J. F. MacDonald, a geophysicist specializing in problems of warfare, has written that accurately timed, artificially excited electronic strokes "could lead to a pattern of oscillations that produce relatively high power levels over certain regions of the earth. ... In this way, one could develop a system that would seriously impair the brain performance of very large populations in selected regions over an extended period. . . . No matter how deeply disturbing the thought of using the environment to manipulate behavior for national advantages to some, the technology permitting such use will very probably develop within the next few decades." - page 28
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Operation Crimson Mist-Electronic Slaughter in Rwanda.pdf | article | 29 May 2003 | Joe Vialls | A speculative article about psychotronic warfare. |
