The Discombobulator

The USA's secret weapon, used in the raid for Maduro

When Maduro was captured 6 weeks ago, I didn’t write an article, because frankly it was a fairly depressing prospect that we’re now at the stage of history where the USA is just going to start randomly capturing foreign heads of state whenever they feel like it.

But the more I thought about it, the more impressive (scary) it seems that the USA was able to get 50 or so Navy Seals into downtown Caracas and capture Maduro without losing a single soldier.

The more you ponder that, and when you hear that Venezuela lost perhaps 150 men, the more strange it seems to have such a large asymmetry in military force in an inner city battle. Something didn’t add up.

As it happens, we didn’t have to wait long for an explanation, because Trump just can’t help himself when it comes to bragging.

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said in an interview that U.S. forces used a “secret weapon” he referred to as a “Discombobulator” in the operation, and suggested the weapon made Venezuelan defensive equipment (aka people) “not work.”

Venezuelan officials and some eyewitness accounts circulated descriptions alleging a “sonic” or directed-energy-type weapon was used that left certain defenders disoriented or incapacitated.

A report from the ground

This account - supposedly from a Venezuelan security guard loyal to Nicolás Maduro makes for interesting reading.

Security Guard: On the day of the operation, we didn't hear anything coming. We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation. The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn't know how to react.

Interviewer: So what happened next? How was the main attack?

Security Guard: After those drones appeared, some helicopters arrived, but there were very few. I think barely eight helicopters. From those helicopters, soldiers came down, but a very small number. Maybe twenty men. But those men were technologically very advanced. They didn't look like anything we've fought against before.

Interviewer: And then the battle began?

Security Guard: Yes, but it was a massacre. We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed... it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn't do anything.

Interviewer: And your own weapons? Didn't they help?

Security Guard: No help at all. Because it wasn't just the weapons. At one point, they launched something—I don't know how to describe it... it was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.

Interviewer: And your comrades? Did they manage to resist?

Security Guard: No, not at all. Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us. We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I've never seen anything like it. We couldn't even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.

So, what is the Discombobulator?

It’s likely to be a form of LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), or ADS (Active Denial System) - millimetre-wave energy to cause discomfort). The Wikipedia article on Sonic Weapons is worth a read, as these things most certainly exist and are not just sci-fi fantasy.

The above devices have been accused of causing “Havana Syndrome”. Starting in 2016 in about a dozen overseas locations, U.S. and Canadian government officials and their families reported symptoms associated with a perceived localized loud sound. The symptoms lasted for months and included disabling cognitive problems, balance problems, dizziness, insomnia, and headaches.

LRADs and ADS are a type of DEW (Directed Energy Weapon)

DEWs work by concentrating electromagnetic energy, like lasers or high-power microwaves, into a focused beam that can be directed at a target, causing damage or disruption to its systems by delivering a significant amount of energy at the speed of light, essentially “shooting” a beam of energy instead of a projectile to inflict harm or disable a target; different types of DEWs utilize different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum to achieve various effects depending on the target and desired outcome.

Recently an LRAD was used against a crowd in Serbia, it may just be that the USA has a much more advanced version of the LRADs that governments are starting to roll out against their own people.

The following image, from a 1970’s electronics magazine, was already talking about (and selling kits for) such things over 50 years ago. So now they have arrived.