The Pentagon's Secret Scream

Marines arriving in Iraq this month as part of a massive troop rotation will bring with them a high-tech weapon never before used in combat - or in peacekeeping. The device is a powerful megaphone the size of a satellite dish that can deliver recorded warnings in Arabic and, on command, emit a piercing tone so excruciating to humans, its boosters say, that it causes crowds to disperse, clears buildings and repels intruders.

"For most people, even if they plug their ears,the device will produce the equivalent of an instant migraine," says Woody Norris, chairman
of American Technology Corp., the San Diego firm that produces the weapon. "It will knock some people on their knees."

American Technology says its new product "is designed to determine intent, change behavior and support various rules of engagement."

The company is careful in its public relations not to refer to the megaphone as a weapon, or to dwell on the debilitating pain American forces will be able to deliver with it.

The military has been equally reticent on the subject. This is a weapon unlike any other used by the military, and it is certain to provoke public outcry and the conspiracy theories that often greet new U.S. military technology."