Non-lethal Weapons

 By Antony Barnett, Public Affairs Editor

The Observer - London, Sunday 3 November 2002

Britain has been involved in secret talks with the United States over the
development of so-called non-lethal weapons, including lasers that blind
the enemy and microwave systems that cook the skin of human targets.

The Observer has established that British and US military leaders met at
the Ministry of Defence HQ in London to discuss the operational benefits
of such technology when used as a 'persuasive tool' against people from
enemy regimes.

Documents obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act detail talks
about battlefield uses of the weapons and whether they could be used to
back up economic sanctions against target countries. The weapons include
lasers that can blind and stun an enemy and cut through metal to disable
vehicles.

Another weapon discussed was a system that uses microwave beams to heat
the water in human skin in the same way as a microwave oven cooks a meal.
The third category of weapons was the use of gases similar to those
deployed to end the terrorist siege in a Moscow theatre, which killed
more than 100 hostages.

The disclosures prompted demands last night from opposition politicians
for a full statement on Britain's involvement in developing such weapons.
Opposition MPs and campaigners believe the fact that the military is
considering developing and using these weapons in war or as a tool to
threaten other states breaches a number of international arms and
humanitarian treaties.

Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats,
called on the Government to 'come clean' on Britain's involvement and
will demand Foreign Secretary Jack Straw gives details.

'These reports have serious implications,' Campbell said. 'If Britain and
American are together seeking to exploit loopholes in existing
international arms convention, our credibility will be severely
undermined. Suggestions that we use such weapons as part of any sanctions
programme is a level of policy which must be discussed on the House of
Commons.'

British personnel at the secret meeting with the US military included
Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham and Dr Martin Hubbard, who heads the
non-lethal weapons research programme at Porton Down, Wiltshire. US
officers included Major General Bice, deputy commander of the US Marines
in Europe, and Brigadier-General Richard Zilmer, deputy director of US
operations at European Command Headquarters.

The documents reveal the full scope of the new weapons programmes that
the US military is developing. The first was high-power microwave
technology that cooks an enemy's skin. Its military name is the
Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System (V-Mads), but it has already been
nicknamed the People Zapper. It works by harnessing electromagnetic power
to fire an invisible pulse of energy at light speed towards a target. The
beam causes the water molecules under the skin to vibrate violently,
producing heat and discomfort. Scientists believe the system could heat a
person's skin to about 130 degrees in two seconds.

The US delegation admits there might be problems with legal claims by
victims.

The documents reveal that both the British and US military believe laser
beams have a 'number of potential applications and desirable attributes
as a non-lethal weapon'. They are impressed that laser guns can be
'tunable' either to stun or kill. Although laser weapons that permanently
blind are banned under international law, the documents show officials
are studying low-energy lasers that blind temporarily and others that
produce a stunning effect.

The classified document, which is an 'assessment report' of a meeting
that took place on 30 November 2000, admits the term 'non-lethal' was
inaccurate.'