Declassified Report
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This document consists of a declassified U.S. Army Freedom of Information Act response letter and an enclosed report titled "Bioeffects of Selected Nonlethal Weapons." The report evaluates the biological mechanisms and potential applications of nonlethal directed-energy concepts, specifically focusing on microwave body heating for incapacitation and the microwave hearing effect.
Key points
- The Department of the Army released the report following a mandatory declassification review requested by Donald Friedman.
- Microwave heating technology aims to safely elevate human core body temperatures to approximately 41°C to disrupt working memory and induce fever-like incapacitation within 15 to 30 minutes.
- The microwave hearing phenomenon operates through thermoelastic expansion in the brain, producing internal auditory sounds such as clicks or voice communications without airborne acoustic waves.
- Precise frequency and power modulation are necessary to avoid permanent tissue damage or cataracts, and the radiofrequency energy can be blocked using metal shielding.