Sounds awful, right? Well let's read the actual article...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday.
The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne.
"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press."
So what he's saying is a) we should test non-lethal crowd control weapons in situations where crowd control is a problem and b) if we aren't willing to use these weapons on our citizens we shouldn't be using them on people elsewhere.
That's not exactly controversial nor is it worthy of the overly-sensational, ominous-sounding headline.