The United States Marine Corps acts as the primary agency or “Executive Agent” for the Department of Defense for non-lethal weapons programs. The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, or JNLWD, acts on behalf of the Marine Corps in order to execute its mission of developing non-lethal weapons after identification and evaluations are conducted to assess suitability for use by DoD forces. Unlike in years past, however, the JNLWD works with all components of the DoD Inter-Agency to include other DoD components to ensure informed decisions are reached regarding the operational use and fielding of non-lethal weapons. More recently, close coordination with NATO partners regarding human effects, capability sets, and studies have been conducted based on real world lessons learned from conflicts in the Balkans and Afghanistan.
History Behind the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate Formation
In the mid-1990′s (1995), USMC LtGen Zinni was placed in charge of the protection of the U.N. Forces being withdrawn from Somalia. He passed a non-lethal weapons requirement to the U.S. DoD in order to best accomplish his mission without unnecessary loss or risk to civilian life, and the U.S. Army and Marine Corps teamed up to provide ad hoc capabilities for force use in and around Mogadishu. Since that time, the U.S. DoD, designated the USMC as the Executive Agent for the DoD non-lethal weapons program in 1996. The need for continued development of non-lethal alternatives for U.S. And Allied Forces has been reiterated in each Quadrennial Defense Review, and the actual gear deployed by the JNLWD has been credited with saving numerous civilian and friendly force lives in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan to determine hostile intent prior to having to make a kill or be killed decision.
What Does the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate Do?
The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate is charged with the research, development, and deployment of non-lethal weapon systems to cover all ranges of threats or potential crises where lethal force may not be an appropriate first response by DoD forces. The non-lethal weapons, munitions, and devices developed focus on immediate incapacitation of targeted personnel or other material with a goal of minimizing fatalities. Although, non-lethal weapons developed by the JNLWD are intended to have reversible effects, some applications do result in death if applied incorrectly or if there are severe medical issues resident in the affected person. The development by the Directorate on non-lethal weapons is not intended to replace deadly force options, but expand the toolbox available to the warfighter to ensure they have the capabilities required for the missions of both today and the future.