The myth of the "humanity" of non-lethal weapons

Abstract

The subject of the study is a non-lethal (non-lethal) weapon. The object of the study is the thesis of his humanity and safety, put forward by some military experts. The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the correctness of the thesis about its safety based on the analysis of the features of the use of non-lethal weapons in modern local wars and armed conflicts. The relevance of the study is determined by the appearance in the United States and NATO of updated conceptual and combat documents defining the principles and conditions for the use of non-lethal weapons. When writing the review article, general scientific research methods were used – analysis and synthesis, implemented on the basis of studying organizational documents that are in the public domain. Based on the assessment of the use of non-lethal weapons during local wars and recent military conflicts, the features and consequences of its use are analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, conclusions are drawn that the purpose of using such weapons is not the humanization of conflicts stated in a number of conceptual documents, but to increase the effectiveness of defeating the enemy in difficult conditions of modern conflicts. Thus, in the review article it is determined that the increasing role of non-lethal weapons in modern operations is determined by its physical properties, which make it possible to solve the tasks of defeating the enemy in difficult conditions of the background-target situation characteristic of modern local wars and armed conflicts