To date, the development of non-lethal weapons (NLW) has concentrated on one-on-one applications and other small, tightly controlled situations. The development of broader scale NLW has lagged, however, even though the technical barriers to their employment do not appear to be insurmountable. In the maritime domain, in particular, making NLW available to decision makers could have decisive effects in a variety of potential and very real situations. "The Slimeball" is a two-part weapon system consisting of a floating sticky foam barrier that will resist attempts to remove it, and a submerged gel barrier that will impede movement through a ship channel. The parts can also be used independently of each other, depending on the type of munitions used to deliver the material and the desired effects. The primary consideration for successfully employing the system is to only use it in facilities that are sheltered from open water and exhibit restricted waterways, such as jetty-protected harbors or underground facilities with narrow adits. The individual components of the Slimeball already exist or can be manufactured to designers' specifications, and some are even commercially available, but to date they have not been combined in the manner described here.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
