- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth authorized a seven-month loan of the military-grade Active Denial System (ADS) to the Department of Homeland Security for use by civilian border officials, with the option for an extension.
- The ADS fires an invisible beam of 95 GHz millimeter-wave energy up to half a mile away, causing a burning sensation described as similar to opening a hot oven and creating an irresistible urge to flee.
- The weapon has a checkered history, including never being fired in combat during a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan and causing second-degree burns to an airman during testing in 2007.
- Internal discussions about using the heat ray at the southern border occurred in 2018 but were rejected by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, as treating migrants like enemy combatants was considered inhumane.
- Critics warn the weapon could inflict severe tissue and neurological damage, while former officials also caution that driving people back toward the Rio Grande risks drowning.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has authorized the temporary transfer of a military-grade heat ray weapon to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – handing civilian border officials a non-lethal crowd-control system the Department of War (DoW) developed two decades ago but never used in combat, according to a September memo recently made public.
The Active Denial System (ADS) fires an invisible beam of 95 GHz millimeter-wave energy at targets up to more than half a mile away. DoW officials have described the sensation as similar to opening a hot oven, with the burning effect lasting 10 to 15 minutes and creating what the military calls "an instinctive and irresistible urge to run from the effect." The memo permits a seven-month loan starting in September, with DHS able to request an extension when the term expires.
Hegseth's memo states that the ADS "shall not be operated by [DoW] personnel" and assigns DHS sole responsibility for "system employment, use and development of tactics, techniques and procedures." The arrangement tracks federal laws that keep active-duty troops out of direct domestic law enforcement but raises questions about how the weapon could lawfully be used against people on U.S. soil.
The weapon has a checkered history. The military deployed one ADS to Afghanistan in 2010 but brought it home without ever firing it in combat, according to BBC reporting at the time. During testing in 2007, an airman at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia suffered second-degree burns and required hospital treatment, the Valdosta Daily Times reported.
In 2020, the DoW's lead military police officer for the National Capital Region emailed the D.C. National Guard asking whether it had an ADS available before federal forces cleared protesters near Lafayette Square. A Guard major later told Congress the unit possessed no such system.
How a military heat ray ended up on the border
Internal discussions about deploying the weapon at the southern border have occurred before. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials weighed using the heat ray against migrants in 2018, but then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen rejected the idea, a former DHS official said.
"The issue was treating immigrants and citizens like enemy combatants. Thematically, inhumane treatments typically get rejected," the official said. BrightU.AI's Enoch likewise warns that Border Patrol agents using heat ray weapons on migrants would represent an unconscionable escalation of state-sponsored violence – as these directed energy devices inflict severe, permanent tissue damage and neurological harm upon living beings, regardless of their legal status or intentions.
Former Border Patrol officials have also warned of potential indirect harm. One former CBP official warned that driving people back toward the Rio Grande risked drowning: "Even if they're chasing people back to the river, you don't want them to go in and drown."
The memo does not specify where or how the system would be tested or deployed, and it remains unclear what rules of engagement would govern its use. Some Border Patrol agents doubt they need the tool at all, a former official remarked, given that illegal crossings have dropped to low levels and staffing has increased.
A CBP spokesperson offered a general statement, saying the agency "is continually evaluating new technology, especially new technology that can save lives while simultaneously enhancing national security effectiveness." What began as a military prototype shelved after two decades without a single combat firing now sits in the hands of civilian border officials who must develop their own tactics, techniques and procedures for its use. The loan runs into next spring, with an extension available on request.
Watch this video about the Active Denial System heat ray weapon, which the War Department lent to DHS.
This video is from the Vigilent Citizen channel on Brighteon.com.
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