A commission looking into the Benghazi embassy incident has levied its opinion: Everyone’s incompetent, and to counteract this, high tech “non-lethal” crowd control like heat rays should be put into place. Well then.
Here are the paragraphs detailing suggested tech improvements:
19. There have been technological advancements in non-lethal deterrents, and the State Department should ensure it rapidly and routinely identifies and procures additional options for non-lethal deterrents in high risk, high threat posts and trains personnel on their use.
20. DS should upgrade surveillance cameras at high risk, high threat posts for greater resolution, nighttime visibility, and monitoring capability beyond post.
What does that mean? According to Danger Room, which would probably know best, options include, “a laser flash that “dazzles” oncoming attackers, an ear-splitting sonic blaster … and a microwave-like pain ray that make targets feel like they’re being hit with the exhaust of a giant oven”.
The report continues that security procedures were overall unacceptably lax, considering the climate of violence in the region. But those weapons above probably won’t be what solves things, considering beyond the technology giving everyone issues (which it probably will), non-standard weaponry is easy for enemies to draw up propaganda against, and tricky to classify in diplomatic situations. Long story short, technology alone can’t dig us out of this hole. [US via Danger Room]
