Special Ops Wants Weapons to Stop Ships, Paralyze People

In a new bid for research proposals, Special Ops is asking for adjustable weapons capable of myriad tasks, from stopping vessels to disorienting people. Photo: SOCOM

Special Operations commandos are already equipped with some of the military's most far-out gear and gadgetry. They've got stealth robo-copters. Deadly, Russian doll drones. And don't forget high-tech, heat-blocking camo suits.

But U.S. Special Operations and Command (SOCOM) is looking to make a few upgrades. Among them: new weapons with adjustable intensity levels ' from non-lethal to lethal ' that are capable of doing everything from thwarting enemy ships to paralyzing, disorienting or barricading individuals. That request is only one part of a new, wide-ranging SOCOM bid for research proposals aimed at the 'advancement of technologies' for special ops forces.

More specifically, SOCOM's after 'Scalable Effects Weapons' ' wherein a weapon's force or lethality would be adjustable, depending on the situation ' that are able to 'neutraliz[e] the enemy while minimizing the risk to non-combatants and infrastructure.'

SOCOM's interested in weapons that'd use various approaches to thwart a commando's foes. They want proposals for weaponry that can 'stop vehicles and vessels,' have a 'disorienting effect on people,' 'temporarily immobilize/paralyze' or 'deny an area to individuals for an indefinite period of time.' And of course, if need be, quickly swap that temporary immobilization for a deadlier kind of impairment.

Sure, the military's got no shortage of ideas for exotic weapons that can stop vessels or wreak havoc on crowds. A recently leaked document from the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, for example, suggests microwave systems that can prompt 'electrical system malfunctions' on enemy ships, along with tasers that elicit longer-lasting paralysis and vehicle-mounted tube launchers that unleash 'ocular and auditory impairment' combined with 'thermal heating' to devastate hordes of wrongdoers.

The bigger challenge is making such weapons scalable '  allowing a commando to transition from 'stun' to 'kill' with a single flip of the switch. That kind of tech has yet to be developed. So far, the most sophisticated non-lethal weapons only go so far as disabling an individual using multiple tactics ' none of them particularly deadly. One intrepid inventor, for example, this year patented an all-in-one weapon capable of unleashing variable doses of pepper spray, dazzling lights or jolts of electricity. Then there's SmartRounds LLC, whose 'Shockwave' munitions deploy a devastating payload that attacks 'three of the five human senses.'

Of course, clandestine, high-stakes missions don't rely on weaponry alone. SOCOM's latest bid also emphasizes a desire for enhanced encryption of mobile devices, lighter-weight uniforms and armor, and improved safeguards against chemical and biological threats. They're also after, as they have been for years now, all-out invisibility for commandos and their vehicles. Which'd be an added bonus where SOCOM's dream weapons are concerned: A surprise jolt of electricity probably stings a lot more than one you can see coming.