The Defense Department’s nonlethal weapons organization is seeking technologies that can help disable motor vehicles and halt small boats.
“We’re committed to expanding war fighters’ capabilities,” says Marine Corps Col. Tracy J. Tafolla, who became director of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate in July.
Nonlethal weapons, which are mainstream tools in law enforcement, are gradually becoming part of the military’s kitbag. In current conflicts, commanders “want to limit collateral damage and undue injuries to the civilian population,” Tafolla says in an interview.
The directorate has an annual budget of $65 million and although it’s a joint-service agency, it falls under the purview of the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Of late, there has been a growing demand for weapons that can stop vehicles and small boats from standoff ranges without injuring their occupants, Tafolla says. “There’s a number of programs we’re looking at to shut down electronics, engines and propulsion systems.”
Acoustic devices could be used to penetrate through the body of a car or a vessel, he says. “We’re even looking at combining an optical interruptor — such as a laser dazzler — and an acoustic device.”
The idea is to employ off-the-shelf technology, Tafolla says. “We’re looking for good ideas that perhaps we haven’t seen.”
A key feature sought is standoff range. “The greater range, the safer our forces will be,” he says. “We give them time to decide if they’re going to escalate force or determine that the vehicle or vessel is not hostile.”
The Government Accountability Office earlier this year published a report that contended that the Defense Department was getting a poor return on its investment in nonlethal weapons. Tafolla says he’s read the report and agrees with some of its recommendations. Broadly speaking, “there’s value to what we’re doing,” he says.