According to Frontpage, the military’s much-touted ”Active Denial System” may not be as non-lethal as it has been made out.
In an interview with Dave Gaubatz, a civilian anti-terrorism consultant, Gaubatz alleges that the microwave-based ADS is very much a lethal weapon and contends that it should have been used early on in the Iraq war to devastating effect:
Gaubatz: The Ray Gun was designed as a lethal weapon. During my conversation with Ms. Mary Walsh, she advised she was told by Pentagon officials the Ray Gun had been tested on animals. I was very surprised to hear this because Pentagon officials have just confirmed animals are used for testing of weapons such as the Ray Gun at Kirtland AFB. I coordinated the security when the truck loads of animals were being brought in during the middle of the night. Dead animals can’t speak, but if a goat or 500 pound cow can be killed almost instantly with the Ray Gun, then I believe most readers can safely assume a 175 pound man or woman could also die instantly from the intense heat.
The weapon could have been used in early 2003. Before I left for Iraq I had numerous meetings with AFRL/DE engineers and scientists. I knew the capabilities of the weapons. The scientists and their Directors asked me to test and evaluate the DE weapons at Kirtland AFB. I did this immediately after 11 Sep 2001. For several months, the weapons were operational and ready for use in Iraq.
Gaubatz also provides several examples of how the weapon could be used operationally:
Gaubatz: This is my major concern. When I returned from Iraq in late 2003, I was requested to brief the AFRL/DE Director (Bruce Simpson). I informed Director Simpson the “Ray Gun” and “Boss Surveillance System” should immediately be deployed to Iraq . I provided the following examples for its operational use:
1st example: When a young soldier is at his guard post and he/she suspected a vehicle coming toward his gate is hostile and is not following commands, the soldier’s next step is to attempt to neutralize the suspected suicide bomber. The soldier aims his M-16 or 9mm at the vehicle and begins firing rounds. Sometimes this is enough, but more often than not the suicide bomber crashes into the gate and kills many innocent people. If a decision has been made to shoot at a vehicle suspected of carrying bombs, would it not protect our young soldier more if he could fire a laser[*] shot from the Ray Gun at the suspect vehicle and its occupants? They would be stopped immediately and the only ones who would die would be the murderers attempting to kill one of our troops.
2nd example: When our soldiers are engaged in a firefight which often last hours and days, and results in many deaths from both sides, it would benefit our soldiers if we could use the Ray Gun. The Ray Gun can send a signal at least a football field in width from a long distance from the target and take out (kill) hundreds of enemies within a few seconds. Few if any American troops would need to die.
Many of the suicide attacks and firefights are in towns, cities, and residential, business areas. If the honest Iraqis knew we had a weapon that would kill everyone within a city block if an attack on American troops was made, the honest Iraqis would begin forcing the terrorists and their supporters out.
Am I missing something or did he suggest threatening to indiscriminately massacre whole city blocks if a terrorist is suspected of living there? Perhaps it’s a good thing there are no tall building left in Iraq or he’d probably advocate flying planes into them!
[* Er, no. Lasers are deadly light ray guns, deadly microwave ray guns are called ’masers‘.]
