A recently completed Defense Department study of non-lethal weapons applications concludes that defense officials should make the development of directed-energy weapons capable of stopping vehicles and ships a priority, according to a military official. The study, called a "capabilities-based assessment" in Pentagon nomenclature, considered a variety of "approved warfighting scenarios" to determine how non-lethal weaponry could help U.S. forces achieve their objectives, Marine Corps Col. Kirk Hymes, who leads the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, said in a July 22 interview...
