[NYTr] FAS Secrecy News - 11/13/2007

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2007, Issue No. 113
November 13, 2007

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**	NEW MILITARY DOCTRINE ON NONLETHAL WEAPONS
**	NUCLEAR WEAPONS RELIGIOUSLY FORBIDDEN, AYATOLLAH SAYS
**	TIME OUT

NEW MILITARY DOCTRINE ON NONLETHAL WEAPONS

Nonlethal weapons "can provide a forgiving means of imposing our will
on adversaries," according to a new U.S. military manual.

Nonlethal weapons (NLW), which do not normally cause fatal injuries,
are intended to provide combatants with tools to disable, apprehend or
deter an opponent by means short of lethal force. They may be deemed
appropriate in urban combat or other environments where civilians are
present among opposing forces.

However, by lowering the threshold for violent conflict and diminishing
its consequences, nonlethal weapons may paradoxically encourage the
outbreak of violence in some circumstances.

The new military manual seeks to preempt confusion about the proper
role of nonlethal weapons while promoting their use when suitable.  The
manual also identifies the NLW capabilities that are currently available
for use in each of the military services.

"The existence of NLW does not represent the potential for 'nonlethal
war,' and unrealistic expectations to that effect must be vigorously
avoided," the document states.  "NLW provide a wider range of options
that augment, but do not replace, traditional means of deadly force."

Among their presumed advantages, "NLW can facilitate post-incident
stabilization by reducing populace alienation and collateral damage."

"NLW can reduce the possibility of injury to friendly forces."

"NLW have relatively reversible effects compared to lethal weapons."

The new manual on nonlethal weapons has not been approved for public
release.  But a copy was obtained by Secrecy News.

See "Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for the Tactical
Employment of Nonlethal Weapons," U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-22.40,
October 24, 2007 (154 pages, 4.5 MB PDF file):

     http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-22-40.pdf

We have deleted one illustration on page III-34 because it is
copyrighted.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS RELIGIOUSLY FORBIDDEN, AYATOLLAH SAYS

An Iranian religious leader reiterated last week that not only is Iran
not pursuing nuclear weapons, but that to do so would be a violation of
Islamic law.

"Production of nuclear bomb and even thinking on its production are
forbidden from Islamic point of view," said Ayatollah Mohammad Emami
Kashani in his Friday sermon at the Tehran University campus.

See "Ayat. Kashani: N-bomb production religiously forbidden," Islamic
Republic News Agency, November 9:

   http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-22/0711090297152426.htm

It has previously been reported that a "fatwa" or religious decree
against nuclear weapons was issued by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.  But as far as is known, no text of such a fatwa has ever
been published to substantiate these reports.  See "Iran's Missing
Anti-Nuclear Fatwa," Secrecy News, August 11, 2005:

   http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/2005/08/081105.html

Meanwhile, open source information on Iran's ballistic missile programs
was surveyed in a brief new report from the Congressional Research
Service.

"Today, there is little disagreement among most experts that Iran has
acquired some number of ballistic missiles from other countries and has
developed other ballistic missiles indigenously or in cooperation with
others," according to CRS.

"At the same time, however, there has been considerable public
disagreement over precisely what kinds of ballistic missile systems
Iran has or is developing. This is because there is little transparency
in Iran's ballistic missile programs, which has led to a lack of
confidence in Iran's public assertions."

"Finally, details about Iranian ballistic missile programs remain
classified in the United States. Because of the secrecy inherent in the
development of weapon systems, especially in less open societies,
open-source analyses reflect a wide range of technical views."

See "Iran's Ballistic Missile Programs: An Overview," November 8, 2007:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RS22758.pdf

TIME OUT

Secrecy News will resume publication the week of November 26.

_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
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