Politics
Memo reportedly authorizes DHS to test military heat ray at border
A seven-month loan of the nonlethal Active Denial System to Homeland Security would begin in September, according to reports citing a memo.
The short version
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly signed a memo permitting Homeland Security to test the Active Denial System for potential southern border use.[Slashdot · The Guardian]
- The reported memo describes a temporary seven-month loan beginning in September, with DHS solely responsible for employment and tactics and no Defense personnel operating the system.[The Guardian]
- The US military describes the Active Denial System as a nonlethal beam; Pentagon officials have compared its skin burn to opening a hot oven.[Slashdot]
- Officials reportedly previously sought to use the system for border crossings in 2018 and for Washington protests in 2020.[The Guardian]
Key facts
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly signed a memo permitting the Department of Homeland Security to test the Active Denial System for potential use at the southern US border.[Slashdot · The Guardian]
- The US military describes the Active Denial System as a nonlethal weapon that emits an invisible beam reaching a little more than half a mile.[Slashdot]
- The memo reportedly authorizes a temporary seven-month loan of the system to DHS beginning in September.[The Guardian]
- The memo reportedly makes DHS solely responsible for the system's employment and tactics and states that no Department of Defense personnel will operate it.[The Guardian]
- The beam causes a burning sensation on human skin, which Pentagon officials have previously compared to opening a hot oven.[Slashdot]
- Officials during the first Trump administration reportedly sought to use the system in 2018 to stop migrants crossing the border and in 2020 to control protests in Washington DC.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The memo itself is not part of the provided reporting, so its terms rest on news accounts of a document CNN obtained.[Slashdot · The Guardian]
- The reporting does not confirm whether testing has begun or what tactics DHS would adopt, and the memo's start date is described as beginning in September.[Slashdot · The Guardian]
- The weapon's capabilities and effects are attributed to the US military and Pentagon officials; independent verification is not included in the reporting.[Slashdot]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.