The issue of non lethal weapons is essentially one of ethics, the question of whether permanent damage to your enemy is in any way better or worse than killing them. The variable power on laser weapons make them ideal for non-lethal uses. Lasers can be used to temporarily ‘dazzle’ an enemy, by temporarily or even permanently blinding them. The most common use in the past is in guiding weapons and precision targeting. They can also be used to set off bombs at a distance working like a lighter for a fuse. Lasers have been used to jam communications and disable motors. The latter is particularly effective against small boats, leaving them effectively ‘dead in the water’. The result is that thousands of dollars are needed in repairs, but minimal damage is done to the boat, the crew, or the even the environment with the lack of boat remains and gas spillage.
The Geneva Convention prohibits weapons from being used to blind an enemy. This means the rules of engagement have to be written out very carefully, and terminology is key. For this reason it is possible to ‘dazzle’ or kill a target, even to set off an explosion that could kill the target, but blinding the target is out of the question.
These questions of ethics will be further explored in the conversations which can be listened to here.
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Laser Warfare 