directed-energy-weapons

ange of technologies that now provide the basis for the desired transformation of the U.S. military. These technologiesinclude reliable and secure communications, high-speed computing, advanced remote sensing, precision navigation andgeo-location, new composites and coatings and novel kill mechanisms. Their impacts on military forces can be widelyseen in such systems as the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition(JDAM), the Tomahawk cruise missile and the E-8 Joint STARS airborne ground-surveillance aircraft.Directed-energy-based systems are already contributing to the new capabilities that undergird the emerging Americanway of war. Laser range-finders and targeting systems are deployed on tanks, helicopters and tactical fighters. Theselaser systems provide both swifter engagements and greatly enhanced precision. The role of directed-energy systemsin support of military operations will continue to grow. DoD is looking closely at the introduction of laser-basedcommunications.Directed-energy weapons are a natural next step in the transformation of the U.S. military. Insofar as the last decadewas marked by the shortening of the sensor-to-shooter cycle, this decade is likely to demonstrate a marked reductionin the shooter-to-target cycle. Directed-energy weapons provide a means for instantaneous target engagement, withextremely high accuracy and, in many instances, at very long ranges. Thus, they will enable U.S. military forces tocapitalize better on the rapid flow of information that is a feature of modern warfare. In addition, these weapons supportthe more effective use of information by providing the warfighter with a broader set of effects that can beapplied against a target. The collection and exploitation of large amounts of information, the conduct of high-speedoperations, an emphasis on long-range engagements, and the pursuit of extreme precision are all aspects of the newAmerican way of war.In addition, directed-energy weapons could provide new means of countering so-called asymmetric threats. Theintroduction of directed-energy weapons could be an asymmetric counter to efforts by potential adversaries to developmeans of neutralizing the U.S. advantage in conventional military power. Initial deployments of directed-energyweaponsare intended to counter the asymmetric threat posed by ballistic missiles and rockets. The first mission ofthe Airborne Laser (ABL) will be defense against theater ballistic missiles. The primary mission of the Mobile TheaterHigh Energy Laser (MTHEL) will be to defeat rocket attacks. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons can beemployed against mobile targets deliberately moved into close proximity with non-combatants or against fixed targetsplaced near to or beneath civilian sites. Directed-energy weapons could be a key aspect of the transformation of theU.S. military intended to ensure this nation’s asymmetric advantage over potential adversaries.Directed-energy is a military capability that is rapidly coming of age. It is doing so in the context of a broad transformationof U.S. military forces and changes in the ways weapons are employed and wars are fought. Directed-energyweapons are likely to have implications for the future of warfare as great as the introduction of the ballistic missile orjet aircraft has been in the recent past. A recent Defense Science Board report on high-energy lasers stated the case forthe revolutionary implications of the deployment of directed-energy weapons:Appropriately developed and applied, high-energy laser systems can become key contributorsto the 21st Century arsenal. In the relatively near-term, the new capabilities afforded by theuse of high-power lasers could improve numerous aspects of warfare from initial detection andidentification of targets to battle damage assessment after their attack. Directed-energyDirected-Energy Weapons and The American Way of War49