Non-Lethal Weapons

Non-lethal weapons provide a military commander with a means of applying force that is something less than a total destruction of the opponent and may be less harmful to the environment. Non-lethal weapons are used to:

• Control crowds
• Incapacitate Personnel
• Deny an Area to Personnel
• Deny an Area to Vehicles
• Disable or Neutralize Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels or Facilities
• Seize Personnel
• Clear Facilities of Personnel

Conventional weapons and overwhelming force can be used for all of these purposes, but sometimes only at the cost of significant collateral damage, serious injuries and deaths. Non-lethal weapons can reduce these risks, contributing to a military resolution to the conflict that will not be at odds with the political resolution of the conflict.

• An angry mob could certainly be subdued and dispersed with small arms fire, but with significant loss of life. The same mob might be dispersed using a noxious gas, or rubber bullets, usually without serious injury.
• An individual resisting efforts to take him prisoner could probably be shot or clubbed into submission, but with significant risk of serious injury or death. The same individual might be easily taken prisoner with the use of a bean-bag shot or a stun-gun, neither of which would be as likely to cause injury to the individual.

• Some other non-lethal techniques include lasers or bright lights to "dazzle" and disorient.

"Non-lethal" is not the same as harmless, and "non-lethal" doesn't always mean non-lethal. "Non-lethal really means "lethal less often than a lot of other things."

• Lethal heart arrythmias have followed the standard application of an electrical "stun gun."
• Lethal asthma attacks have followed the use of CS gas for riot control.
• Both rubber and plastic bullets have resulted in deaths from skull fractures or closed head injuries, and permanent blindness for those struck in the eye.
• Individuals dazzled by bright lights or lasers may be incapable of safely navigating an aircraft or vehicle, resulting in death.

As a medical provider in military settings, it may prove useful to become familiar with the various non-lethal weapons and the injuries they can cause. These weapons include:

For more information, read: 
• Opthalmology, Battlefield Lasers, and The Night Environment, in SEABEE Operational Medical and Dental Guide
• Riot Control Agents, CN and CS, in Medical Management of Chemical Casualties Handbook
• FM 8-50 Management of Laser Injuries

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*This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates, LLC.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. The medical information presented was reviewed and felt to be accurate in 2001. Medical knowledge and practice methods may have changed since that time. Some links may no longer be active. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

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