missile launcher standing rock
© Jon Ziegler/Facebook
Over the last several months, the world has watched the American police state in action as cops from more than a dozen states beat, gassed, pepper sprayed, tasered, shot, and severely injured water protectors and protesters in North Dakota. Using their militarized gear, police have blinded at least one person and blown up the arm of another. With all the heavily armed police and military in the area, one would think that having a missile launcher would be entirely unnecessary — however, one would be wrong.

Jon Zeigler has been live streaming from DAPL since last year. On Monday, he found something quite disturbing — the Avenger AN/TWQ-1 Air Defense System.


Knowing their history of brutality over the last several months, the idea that police and national guard have an actual missile launcher at their disposal is nothing short of bone-chilling.

According to the Army Recognition website, the Avenger AN/TWQ-1 Air Defense System vehicle is a missile mounted system which provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters.

The AN/TWQ-1 missile system has been around since the 1980s, however, it has recently been equipped with a "High energy laser weapon used to neutralize small unmanned air vehicles. Also neutralized unexploded ordnance at standoff distance."