"Smart" Bomb: The Next Generation

Troops in Iraq will soon be shooting an experimental weapon that fires an invisible beam of energy instead of bullets to repel insurgents without killing civilians. [...]

Troops guarding checkpoints, bases and convoys regularly face oncoming people or vehicles of uncertain intent. Troops open fire rather than risk a bomb attack.

If it works like it's supposed to (as if), it's certainly better than the current shoot-first-and-lie-later MO, in that it will save many civilian lives. It presumably will not turn the electricity back on, or hasten the termination of the occupation. But, better than nothing anyway.

However, if it's to be utilised against oncoming vehicles of "uncertain intent", it'll probably cause civilian drivers to crash their motors in large numbers. And if you thought that the "Multinational Force" was trigger happy already, how eager is it going to be to fire at will with its new toy, thereby exposing many more civilians to an "intolerable" burning sensation? Again, better than being shot down with live ammo. But not exactly a "liberation" that dreams are made of.

Moreover, the supposition that it will "repel insurgents" seems flat-out wacky. What're they gonna do, beam it 24/7 at all Iraqi police stations and every foot of exposed pipeline? Just think about it for half-a-second: if lethal force against Iraqis of "uncertain intent" has not been able to "repel insurgents", why in hell would non-lethal force be able to do so?

Ah well, so long as the taxpayers are paying for it...

Posted by Eddie Tews at July 25, 2005 06:26 PM