The Pentagon has authorized the Department of Homeland Security to test a military heat ray and develop tactics for potential use along the southern border, according to a memo obtained by CNN.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the memo last month. It grants a temporary seven-month loan of one Active Denial System, or ADS, starting in September. The system is a nonlethal directed-energy weapon that fires an invisible beam of electromagnetic waves capable of reaching a little more than half a mile. The beam causes a burning sensation on human skin that military officials have compared to the heat felt when opening a hot oven. The effect lasts 10 to 15 minutes and is described as creating an instinctive urge to flee.
The memo states that Department of War personnel will not operate the system and that DHS is solely responsible for its employment and the development of tactics. At the end of the loan period, DHS can request continued use based on operational needs. A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CNN the agency is continually evaluating new technologies to enhance its capabilities. The Pentagon referred questions to DHS.
Deploying the heat ray at the border would mark an unprecedented step. Current and former CBP officials said there have been internal discussions over the years about using the system for crowd dispersal in areas of high illegal crossings, though it has never been deployed. Officials previously considered the system during periods of domestic unrest, including protests after the death of George Floyd, but those discussions did not result in use. Concerns have included potential harm, legal issues, effectiveness and the risk that people could be forced into dangerous situations such as rivers.
The U.S. military previously deployed the system briefly to Afghanistan but did not use it in combat. It has also been considered and rejected for crowd control at overseas detention facilities.
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