On January 29, 2009, the National Strategy Forum hosted Colonel Kirk Hymes, Director of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, and Mr. Jeff Keuter, President of the George C. Marshall Institute. The speakers addressed the National Strategy Forum membership on the subject of non-lethal weaponry.

In brief, Colonel Hymes and Mr. Keuter explained that the issue of non-lethal weaponry is increasingly recognized as a necessary component of a balanced future strategy within the Pentagon. What is “Non-Lethal Weaponry”? The definition according to the Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is: “Weapons, devices and munitions that are explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate targeted personnel or materiel immediately, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property in the target area or environment. Non-lethal weapons are intended to have reversible effects on personnel and materiel."

Colonel Hymes stated that the U.S. government is developing an array of non-lethal weaponry and technology which will provide the warfighter options when lethal force is not the best response. As insurgency violence continues to escalate despite intelligence and force efforts, non-lethal weapons will become an increasingly integral tool within the U.S. national security arsenal.

The following article was submitted by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate: “Non-Lethal Weapons: The Right Tools for the Job.” For more information about the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program, visit https://www.jnlwp.com.