Non-Lethal Weapons play a critical role in missions ranging from Humanitarian and Peacekeeping Operations to Full-Scale Combat

The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program was established to provide warfighters a family of non-lethal weapon systems with a range of capabilities across the full spectrum of threats and crises. Non-lethal weapons are defined as "weapons that are explicitly designed and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or materiel, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment." Non-lethal weapons can range from simple, commercially available items such as bean bag rounds, pepper spray, and entangling devices, to directed energy systems that provide non-lethal effects at greater distance. Scenarios with the potential to utilize NLWs are numerous and include deterring suspicious personnel at longer ranges, stopping suspicious vehicles, and rendering enemy assets inoperable with little to no collateral damage. NLWs are employed to provide the commander flexible options, both in time and range, to the diverse and challenging threats faced by our forces. NLWs do not replace the need for lethal force but enhance the capability of U.S. forces to accomplish mission objectives.