CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- August 3, 2007-- Beanbags, stickynets and speakers may seem like odd tools for fending off an angry, armed mob or stopping a vehicle speeding toward a checkpoint. But 120 Marines from 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, who completed the Non-lethal Weapons Course on Camp Hansen July 23-27, know better.
Non-lethal weapons instructors from III Marine Expeditionary Force's Special Operations Training Group and the Marine Corps Base Provost Marshal's Office teamed up during the weeklong training to teach the Division Marines crowd control techniques using such weapons.
The course focused heavily on "escalation of force" procedures, or the employment of weapons in progressive stages based on the existing threat, explained Gunnery Sgt. Ronald L. Stephens, the anti-terrorism and force protection senior instructor with SOTG.
"If someone's throwing a rock at you, you don't want to retaliate with lethal means," Stephens said. "This training prepares Marines to stop them using the minimal amount of force necessary."
The Marines learned the correct way to deal with hostile personnel in a variety of scenarios by using non-lethal weapons and equipment such as batons, shields and munitions including beanbag projectiles, paintballs, Tasers and OC spray. One of the key learning points of the course was knowing when and how to apply the different systems.
"Range always determines what nonlethal weapons we use," said Sgt. Russell A. Douthat, one of the instructors. "You ideally don't want a crowd too close, and that's why we use OC spray and munitions to keep them away."
During one memorable portion of the training, Marines experienced firsthand the unpleasant effects of the Taser. "It's completely incapacitating," said Cpl. Garrett R. Bain, a field artillery fire control man with 12th Marines, describing the effects of the Taser.
The Marines also got blasted in the eyes with OC spray, similar to pepper spray, before running through an obstacle course that required them to implement baton training they learned earlier. Marines were subjected to the highly uncomfortable spray so they could get a sense of how to appropriately apply it in certain situations and also so they are prepared for the spray's effects if it is ever turned on them.
Among the milder systems demonstrated during the training was a large speaker called the Long Range Acoustic Device that can project sound up to 300 meters to communicate with large mobs, and the Vehicle Lightweight Arresting Device, a large, spiked, sticky net used to stop moving vehicles.
Stephens said some non-lethal weapons can become lethal if used improperly, so the training emphasized safe engagement at appropriate distances to maximize effectiveness while preventing serious injury.
