Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Technology Development

The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Technology Development program is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative focused on research, development, and advanced technology demonstration of next-generation non-lethal weapons (NLW) and intermediate force capabilities (IFCs). Managed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps as the DoD Non-Lethal Weapons Executive Agent, the program is overseen by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with other key DoD offices. The program's primary objective is to address joint service requirements for non-lethal capabilities, as identified in the DoD's Non-Lethal Weapons Joint Capabilities Based Assessment Document, and to provide the Joint Force with scalable options for force application in scenarios where lethal force is either not permitted or not desirable.

The program specifically funds advanced technology development activities, including analysis, technology development, modeling, and simulation, to ensure the optimal weaponization and operational use of NLWs. Focus areas include research and development of non-lethal directed energy weapons, such as lasers, millimeter wave, and high-power microwave systems, for both counter-personnel and counter-materiel missions. Additional areas of investment include acoustic, optical, and human electro-muscular disruption technologies, as well as advanced non-lethal materials for vehicle and vessel stopping and counter-facility applications.

The program aims to develop NLW systems capable of delivering long-range, localized non-lethal effects against identified threats whether individuals, groups, or their equipment in complex environments such as urban areas, crowds, buildings, vehicles, vessels, and near high-value civilian facilities. This supports the National Defense Strategy objective of strategic competition by providing non-lethal options for escalation of force, particularly in legally or politically constrained situations, and by complementing lethal force in complex combat scenarios.

Key objectives for FY 2025 and FY 2026 include continued research into NLW and IFC effects, optimization of non-lethal human effects, and enhanced understanding of behavioral responses to non-lethal stimuli. The program seeks to characterize non-lethal phenomena, assess human effects and weapon effectiveness, and develop dose-response and injury correlates for new NLW technologies. Efforts are underway to advance the understanding of flash-bang effects and to develop non-explosive alternatives to traditional pyrotechnic devices.

Another significant goal is the continued investigation and prototyping of advanced directed energy systems, including high peak power radio frequency and microwave technologies. These efforts focus on improving performance, reducing size, weight, power consumption, and system costs, and enabling longer-range and more compact NLW systems. The program also supports the integration of human effects data into generalized models to ensure operational safety and effectiveness of NLW and IFC systems.

In addition to counter-personnel technologies, the program invests in counter-materiel research, such as developing novel intermediate force capabilities for vehicle and vessel stopping and optimizing materials for future escalation-of-force platforms. Advanced technology development activities typically reach Technology Readiness Levels 4 to 6, involving component validation in laboratory and relevant environments, as well as prototype demonstration in simulated operational settings.