Say Hello to the Goodbye Weapon
Pastor Dale Morgan
**Say Hello to the Goodbye Weapon*
Added: Dec 6th, 2006 7:29 AM
By David Hambling
The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the
whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like
you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain,
but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running. To your
surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is
completely empty.
You've just been hit with a new nonlethal weapon that has been certified
for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen
effects.
According to documents obtained for Wired News under federal sunshine
laws, the Air Force's Active Denial System, or ADS, has been certified
safe after lengthy tests by military scientists in the lab and in war games.
The ADS shoots a beam of millimeters waves, which are longer in
wavelength than x-rays but shorter than microwaves -- 94 GHz (= 3 mm
wavelength) compared to 2.45 GHz (= 12 cm wavelength) in a standard
microwave oven.
The longer waves are thought to limit the effects of the radiation. If
used properly, ADS will produce no lasting adverse affects, the military
argues.
Documents acquired for Wired News using the Freedom of Information Act
claim that most of the radiation (83 percent) is instantly absorbed by
the top layer of the skin, heating it rapidly.
The beam produces what experimenters call the "Goodbye effect," or
"prompt and highly motivated escape behavior." In human tests, most
subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the
subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.
"It will repel you," one test subject said. "If hit by the beam, you
will move out of it -- reflexively and quickly. You for sure will not be
eager to experience it again."
But while subjects may feel like they have sustained serious burns, the
documents claim effects are not long-lasting. At most, "some volunteers
who tolerate the heat may experience prolonged redness or even small
blisters," the Air Force experiments concluded.
The reports describe an elaborate series of investigations involving
human subjects. The tests ranged from simple exposure in the laboratory
to elaborate war games involving hundreds of participants.
The military simulated crowd control situations, rescuing helicopter
crews in a Black Hawk Down setting and urban assaults. More unusual
tests involved alcohol, attack dogs and maze-like obstacle courses.
In more than 10,000 exposures, there were six cases of blistering and
one instance of second-degree burns in a laboratory accident, the
documents claim.
The ADS was developed in complete secrecy for 10 years at a cost of $40
million. Its existence was revealed in 2001 by news reports, but most
details of ADS human testing remain classified. There has been no
independent checking of the military's claims.
The ADS technology is ready to deploy, and the Army requested ADS-armed
Strykers for Iraq last year. But the military is well aware that any
adverse publicity could finish the program, and it does not want to risk
distressed victims wailing about evil new weapons on CNN.
This may mean yet more rounds of testing for the ADS.
New bombs can be rushed into service in a matter of weeks, but the
process is more complex for nonlethal weapons. It may be years before
the debates are resolved and the first directed-energy nonlethal weapon
is used in action.
The development of a truly safe and highly effective nonlethal
crowd-control system could raise enormous ethical questions about the
state's use of coercive force. If a method such as ADS leads to no
lasting injury or harm, authorities may find easier justifications for
employing them.
Historically, one of the big problems with nonlethal weapons is that
they can be misused. Rubber bullets are generally safe when fired at the
torso, but head impacts can be dangerous, particularly at close range.
Tasers can become dangerous if they are used on subjects who have
previously been doused with flammable pepper spray. In the heat of the
moment, soldiers or police can forget their safety training.
Steve Wright of Praxis, the Center for the Study of Information and
Technology in Peace, Conflict Resolution and Human Rights, notes that
there are occasions when this has happened in the past. He cites British
soldiers, who increased the weight of baton rounds in Northern Ireland.
"Soldiers flouted the rules of engagement, doctoring the bullets by
inserting batteries (to increase the weight) and firing at closer ranges
than allowed," says Wright.
There may also be technical issues. Wright cites a recent report on CS
gas sprays which turned out to be more dangerous in the field than expected.
"No one had bothered to check how the sprays actually performed in
practice, and they yielded much more irritant than was calculated in the
weapon specification. This underlines the need for independent checking
of any manufacturers' specifications. Here secrecy is the enemy of safety."
Eye damage is identified as the biggest concern, but the military claims
this has been thoroughly studied. Lab testing found subjects reflexively
blink or turn away within a quarter of a second of exposure, long before
the sensitive cornea can be damaged. Tests on monkeys showed that
corneal damage heals within 24 hours, the reports claim.
"A speculum was needed to hold the eyes open to produce this type of
injury because even under anesthesia, the monkeys blinked, protecting
the cornea," the report says.
The risk of cancer is also often mentioned in connection with the ADS
system, despite the shallow penetration of radiation into the skin.
But the Air Force is adamant that after years of study, exposure to MMW
has not been demonstrated to promote cancer. During some tests, subjects
were exposed to 20 times the permitted dose under the relevant Air Force
radiation standard. The Air Force claims the exposure was justified by
demonstrating the safety of the ADS system.
The beam penetrates clothing, but not stone or metal. Blocking it is
harder than you might think. Wearing a tinfoil shirt is not enough --
you would have to be wrapped like a turkey to be completely protected.
The experimenters found that even a small exposed area was enough to
produce the Goodbye effect, so any gaps would negate protection. Holding
up a sheet of metal won't work either, unless it covers your whole body
and you can keep the tips of your fingers out of sight.
Wet clothing might sound like a good defense, but tests showed that
contact with damp cloth actually intensified the effects of the beam.
System 1, the operational prototype, is mounted on a Hummer and produces
a beam with a 2-meter diameter. Effective range is at least 500 meters,
which is further than rubber bullets, tear gas or water cannons. The
ammunition supply is effectively unlimited.
The military's tests went beyond safety, exploring how well the ADS
works in practice. In one war game, an assault team staged a mock raid
on a building. The ADS was used to remove civilians from the
battlefield, separating what the military calls "tourists from terrorists."
It was also used in a Black Hawk Down scenario, and maritime tests,
which saw the ADS deployed against small boats.
It might also be used on the battlefield. One war game deployed the ADS
in support of an assault, suppressing incoming fire and obstructing a
counterattack.
"ADS has the same compelling nonlethal effect on all targets, regardless
of size, age and gender," says Capt. Jay Delarosa, spokesman for the
Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, which decides where and how the
ADS might be deployed.
"It can be used to deny an area to individuals or groups, to control
access, to prevent an individual or individuals from carrying out an
undesirable activity, and to delay or disrupt adversary activity."
The precise results of the military's war games are classified, but
Capt. Delarosa insists that the ADS has proven "both safe and effective
in all these roles."
The ADS comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. As well as System 1, a
smaller version has been fitted to a Stryker armored vehicle -- along
with other lethal and nonlethal weapons -- for urban security
operations. Sandia National Labs is looking at a small tripod-mounted
version for defending nuclear installations, and there is even a
portable ADS. And there are bigger versions too.
"Key technologies to enable this capability from an airborne platform --
such as a C-130 -- are being developed at several Air Force Research
Laboratory technology directorates," says Diana Loree, program manager
for the Airborne ADS.
The airborne ADS would supplement the formidable firepower of Special
Forces AC-130 gunships, which currently includes a 105-mm howitzer and
25-mm Gatling guns. The flying gunboats typically engage targets at a
range of two miles or more, which implies an ADS far more powerful than
System 1 has been developed. But details of the exact power levels,
range and diameter of the beam are classified.