Pete Hegseth reportedly authorizes DHS to test ‘heat ray’ at US-Mexico border

The Pentagon’s Active Denial System shoots energy beam that causes ‘sensation of intense heat on surface of skin’

Pete Hegseth reportedly authorizes DHS to test ‘heat ray’ at US-Mexico border

TL;DR

  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may test a non-lethal weapon called the Active Denial System (ADS) at the US southern border.
  • The ADS is a military-grade weapon that projects an energy beam causing an intense, temporary heat sensation on the skin.
  • US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly signed a memo authorizing a seven-month loan of the system to the DHS.
  • The system was previously considered for use by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but was never deployed.
  • The ADS was initially brought to Afghanistan by the US military nearly 20 years ago but was not used.
  • The DHS will be solely responsible for the system's employment and use, with no Department of Defense personnel operating it.