Rear Admiral Thomas W. Steffens, USN -Ret- Elected to Board of Directors of the Post-Merger Combination of U.S. Home & Garden and Ionatron.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2004

U.S. Home & Garden Inc. (OTCBB: USHG.OB) today announced that, at the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the combined U.S. Home & Garden/Ionatron companies, Rear Admiral Thomas W. Steffens, US Navy (Ret) was elected to serve as a member of the Board. Admiral Steffens joins Robert Howard (Chairman of the Board), Thomas C. Dearmin, David Hurley, George Farley and James Harlan as the new directors of post-merger U.S. Home & Garden.

Admiral Steffens currently serves as the Technical Director for Homeland Security and Special Operations for ANTEON Corporation.

In 2003, he concluded over 34 years of naval service as a Navy SEAL. Following the events of September 11th, Admiral Steffens was recalled by the Chief of Naval Operations to serve as the Special Assistant for Homeland Security to the Commander, Fleet Forces Command. While serving as such, he also served as the Director of Anti-Terrorism and was responsible for coordination with U.S. Northern Command and with the U.S. Coast Guard for Maritime Homeland Defense and port security. He also regularly coordinated with the Joint Staff, services and various agencies (CIA, DIA, DISA, NSA) in the areas of command, control, communications and intelligence. During his 18 months in this position he established a vision and strategy for Navy Force Protection, implemented an operational architecture for both the Fleet and Regional Shore-based Navy, built a force of over 15,000 security personnel, and set security standards for all CONUS naval installations. He was also instrumental in establishing the Center for Anti-Terrorism that establishes security doctrine and trains all leaders for the Navy today.

Among his myriad of other assignments and accomplishments during his naval career, Admiral Steffens also:

-- Directed over 1,500 military personnel, civilians and DOD 

contractors as the Chief of Staff at the U.S. Special

Operations Command in Tampa, Florida;

-- Founded the Center for Intelligence and Information

Operations. This unique organization continues to bring

together the varied disciplines of the network,

communications, intelligence, information warfare and computer

network defense communities;

-- Served in the Pentagon as the Director of the SEAL Division on

the Navy Staff and was the Test Director for SEAL projects on

the Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force. His four

major projects while Test Director are still in service today;

-- Served as the Director of SEAL Training, during which time he

established the Naval Special Warfare Center, and as the SEAL

Personnel Exchange Officer with the UK Royal Marines; and

-- Served as Commanding Officer of SDV Team Two, which, during

his command received the Navy Unit Commendation for

multi-disciplinary effort.

Commenting on this prestigious addition to the Company's Board, Mr. Howard said, "We are very pleased and honored to have Admiral Steffens join our Board. His illustrious and highly successful naval career demonstrates both his commitment to excellence and his stringent standards for strategic task development, implementation and completion -- attributes especially relevant to Ionatron's vision and ideas. We look forward to the benefits Admiral Steffens' insights, experience and knowledge can bring to us as we strive to transition our unique directed energy weapon technology to the field."

About Ionatron

Ionatron was a 2001 vision of its co-founders, Robert Howard and Thomas Dearmin, who formulated the idea to create a novel, low average power Directed Energy Weapon system capable of addressing the new worldwide security threats. The Company's proprietary new Directed Energy Weapon technology has been developed and tested and, in a non-lethal mode, can direct electrical discharges through the atmosphere to disable vehicles, such as cars, trucks or boats, without harming the vehicles' occupants. These discharges can also shut down electronic and communications equipment. When fully developed, this technology will also have the capability of stunning personnel, in a manner similar to a common TASER (R) --- but in a wireless manner and over much longer distances. Ionatron's technology is also multifunctional in capability, with various military, homeland defense and law enforcement applications. Ionatron has already commenced the production of a limited number of prototypes for customer evaluation and testing within the customers' specific environments and missions. The Company has also recently secured several US Government contracts and had its technology funded as a line item in the 2004 DOD Defense Budget. Mr. Dearmin's high power solid state and semiconductor laser experience, along with Mr. Howard's proven ability to envision, create, manufacture and market new technologies, has established Ionatron as an emerging leader in the field of Directed Energy Weapons products.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

Certain statements contained in this News Release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any futures results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the risks of uncertainty of patent protection; the risks of uncertainty of strategic alliances; the risk and uncertainty of management tenure; the impact of third-party suppliers' manufacturing constraints or difficulties; management's ability to achieve business performance objectives, market acceptance of, and demand for, the Company's products, and resulting revenues; development of technology and manufacturing capabilities; impact of competitive products and pricing; litigation and other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The words "looking forward," "believe," "demonstrate," "intend," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "likely" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. Ionatron undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this news release.