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21st Century U.S. Army Tactical Employment of Nonlethal Weapons (FM 90-40): Multiservice Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force Procedures
21st Century US Army Tactical Employment of Nonlethal Weapons Multiservice Army Marine Corps Navy and Air Force Procedures - FM 90-40 Author:Department of Defense This is the latest edition of an important U.S. Army field manual (FM) dealing with the tactical employment of nonlethal weapons (NLW). In Chapter 1, it states: "Today in an operational environment, United States (US) forces regularly perform missions that were almost inconceivable a few decades ago. In this new environment, firepower or t... more »he threat of its use may no longer be the default solution to all crises or problems. Senior leaders face a new level of public sensitivity and scrutiny concerning the proper role of the military as an instrument of national power. Field commanders must understand these sensitivities and attempt to achieve measured military force. Junior leaders must apply the resulting decisions wisely, often in situations filled with uncertainty and danger. Throughout history, changes in culture and technology influenced the character of military force and the manner in which it is employed. These changes are an attempt to maximize the utility of military force in a new operational regime. Promising new nonlethal weapons (NLW) proposals represent advances in technology. In the complex and changing political and social domain of the modern world, nonlethal capabilities may offer the opportunity to increase the utility of the military as an instrument of national power. NLW are defined as weapons that are explicitly designed and primarily employed, at a minimum, to discourage or at most, incapacitate personnel or materiel while minimizing fatalities and undesired damage to property and the environment. NLW achieve these benefits by employing means other than catastrophic physical destruction to incapacitate their targets. The term "nonlethal" should be understood as a function of intent; zero mortality or permanent damage are goals not guarantees of these weapons. NLW add flexibility to combat operations and enhance force protection by providing an environment in which friendly troops can engage threatening targets with limited risk of noncombatant casualties and collateral damage."« less