May 31, 2020 — Many Marines may be surprised to learn that the Commandant of the Marine Corps serves as the Department of Defense Executive Agent for Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW), or that Gen Charles C. Krulak, the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, volunteered the Marine Corps to take on a leadership role in their development in 1996. Almost 25 years later, NLW—which have been associated primarily with law enforcement and military security missions—are at a strategic turning point. NLW technology, to include directed energy systems, has advanced significantly.
![600x375_q75 https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6216556/non-lethal-weapons-course](https://dsiac.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/600x375_q75-panorama-ca5f15c7305d0f4103975f3ac5baa981-606cdedb7e0c3.jpg)
Photo by Sgt. Brett Norman I MEF Information Group
June 23, 2020 | Originally published by U.S. Department of Defense Non-Lethal Weapons Program on May 31, 2020