Hegseth lends military 'heat ray' to DHS for testing at the southern border

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved a seven-month loan of the military's Active Denial System, a so-called heat ray, to the Department of Homeland Security for testing for possible use at the border.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved lending the military's Active Denial System, a nonlethal weapon often called a "heat ray," to the Department of Homeland Security for testing for possible use at the southern border, according to a memo first reported by CNN.

The memo, signed last month, authorizes a seven-month loan starting in September and states that the system "shall not be operated by" Defense Department personnel, leaving DHS solely responsible for how it is used. The approval does not amount to a deployment decision, and it is unclear whether DHS will use the weapon.

An Active Denial System vehicle

The system projects a beam of millimeter waves that causes an intense burning sensation on the skin. Tests on military volunteers recorded several cases of burns, blisters or prolonged pain, and officials have raised legal and use-of-force concerns.

In 2018, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen rejected a proposal to use the system against migrants. A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency continually evaluates new technology that can "save lives while enhancing national security."