Pentagon authorizes DHS to test Active Denial System at US-Mexico border
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to test the Active Denial System, a nonlethal heat ray weapon, for potential use at the southern border. The agreement involves a seven-month temporary loan of one system, with DHS assuming full responsibility for its deployment and tactical development. While the weapon has been considered for crowd dispersal in the past, it has never been deployed in active combat or domestic unrest scenarios due to safety and legal concerns.