Overview
This paper by Phillips, Brown, and Thornton (archived 23 Aug 2025) documents the US military's development of electromagnetic weapons technologies that pose significant human rights concerns. The authors argue these capabilities violate cognitive liberty and international human rights standards.
Key Findings
Historical Precedent
The paper traces a lineage from MKUltra psychological warfare programs to modern electromagnetic weapons, noting that "the CIA began work to find means for influencing human cognition, emotion and behavior" in the 1950s-60s. The authors cite Dr. Eldon Byrd's case as evidence of how morally tolerable operations can transition to morally intolerable ones.Current Technologies
Project Sheriff (Active Denial System): Raytheon's Silent Guardian Protection System heats skin to 1/64th of an inch, causing instant pain similar to intense sunburn. Test subjects with contact lenses and metal suffered greater effects; coin imprints appeared on skin.
Pulsed Energy Projectiles: Create flash-bang effects that startle and distract, but can superheat surface moisture around targets at nearly the speed of light for pinpoint accuracy up to 2 km. The expanding plasma affects nerve cells with long-term effects remaining classified.
Voice-to-Skull (Directed Acoustics): Neuro-electromagnetic non-lethal weapons producing sounds within the skull through pulse-modulated microwave radiation, capable of transmitting voice or audio subliminal messages.
Contracting and Research
Military contractors including Ionatron ($12M contract for Laser Induced Plasma Channel technology), SAIC ($49M for High Power Microwave systems), Fiore Industries, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Gruman, Voss Scientific, Electro Magnetic Applications, and Hughes Missile Systems Company have received substantial funding. The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate received $43.9 million in 2006 compared to $25.8 million in 2000.Expert Testimony
Vladimir Nikolaevich Lopatin (Director of Republican Scientific Research Institute of Intellectual Property, Moscow): Cited that by the beginning of the 21st century, expenses for purchasing information warfare means increased fourfold in the USA over 15 years and are ahead of all armament programs. Russia banned electromagnetic weapons as civil/service weapons under Federal Law "On weapons" (July 30, 2001).
Carol Smith (British psychoanalyst): Confirmed human rights concerns exist when devices fall into "the wrong hands"—government, private commercial, or sadistic/commercial operators.
Legal Framework Concerns
The paper argues that the Military Commissions Act of 2006 superceded Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (prohibiting torture) and Article 10 (right to fair hearing). The authors contend that electromagnetic weapons violate cognitive liberty—the right to think independently without external manipulation.
Open Questions
The paper notes significant gaps in public knowledge due to classified programs. Key questions remain: What are the actual levels of experimentation? How widespread is testing on humans including prisoners, civilians in war zones, and protest crowds? The Directed Energy Professional Society holds high-security symposiums with limited attendance for US citizens with security clearances.