This is an example of the aggression of men. They do not solve the problem of war as a outdated strategy that causes more instability. They refuse to look at their ideologies, doctrines and postures and examine why they desire to harm others? At what point do we mature past this behaviour that costs the taxpayers trillions but never achieves peace as they are not trained for peace (examine the inner war) but instead trained for war (enemies, othering, bullying) believing power is security when it undermines earth systems and human cooperation. It destroys trust, peace, happiness and love. It works against the very resilience that inspires hope. It is a tactic, it is a strategy to depopulate and uses soldiers as fodder.
Imagine if people like myself who spend their lives working on peace were empowered we would live in severe poverty still working for peace. Instead we favour fear as war and the trillion made in the industrial military complex. It is a business not a conflict resolution tool. It wastes so much money.
War is a racket. This was stated by a Soldier in the first world war Major General Smedly. Smedley Darlington Butler was born in 1881. He was a Major General in the US Marine Corps, and witnessed the horrors of the
First World War first-hand. He retired in 1931, ran as a Republican Candidate for Senate in 1932, and died in a Philadelphia Naval Hospital in 1940. He saw the lie of war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket
The pdf book War_Is_A_Racket_by_Major_General_Smedley
The US Navy Office of Naval Research has successfully tested an all-new, fully electric laser weapon system. Designed to fry aerial threats like drones and missiles, the new weapon system is entirely electric, so it doesn’t require chemicals.
WEAPONIZED LASER SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT INCREASING
Around the world, military forces are increasingly testing and deploying laser systems. The Debrief recently reported on the Iron Beam weapon system successfully tested by the Israeli Defense Ministry. The U.S. military has also tested several laser-based weapons systems with varying degrees of success, including a ship-mounted laser that blasted an incoming surface drone to pieces.
NAVY LASER BLASTS ALL TARGETS FROM THE SKY
Dubbed the Layered Laser Defense system (LLD) by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Lockheed Martin designed laser weapon marks a significant technological breakthrough. Unlike laser weapons systems designed and tested in the 1980s, the LLD is entirely electric. As such, the LLD system carries no chemicals or propellants, dramatically improving safety and cost concerns. Also, since the final model is designed for on-ship deployment, the LLD could theoretically operate with unlimited ammunition as long as the ship can provide electrical power.
“The Navy performed similar tests during the 1980s but with chemical-based laser technologies that presented significant logistics barriers for fielding in an operational environment,” said Dr. Frank Peterkin, the ONR’s directed energy portfolio manager. “And, ultimately, those types of lasers did not transition to the fleet or any other service.”
There is also a cost-savings benefit to the Navy for this type of system. For example, Israel’s Iron Dome costs upwards of $150,000 to bring down a single incoming missile, while a disabling shot from their Iron Beam laser system costs at most a few hundred dollars. According to a report in New Atlas, the LLD is expected to cost around a dollar per shot.
The system offers other advantages as well. For example, it is equipped with a high-resolution telescope that lets operators identify and assess the weapon’s effectiveness. The system can also adjust its power output, which can disable and not destroy specific targets the Navy may not want to destroy. The system can also target surface threats like fast attack boats or water-borne drones.
NAVY SAYS LLD TECHNOLOGY COULD REDEFINE THE FUTURE OF NAVAL COMBAT
The Navy noted that there are no immediate plans to deploy LLD into service. However, the technology displayed and the advancements made on laser systems since the 1980s mean that it is likely only a matter of time before ship-bard lasers are commonplace.
“LLD is an example of what a very advanced laser system can do to defeat significant threats to naval forces,” added David Kiel, a former Navy captain who is a program officer in ONR’s Aviation, Force Projection, and Integrated Defense Department, which managed the testing. “And we have ongoing efforts, both at ONR and in other Navy programs, to keep building on these results in the near future.”
Next Up: Tractor beams!?
Follow and connect with author Christopher Plain on Twitter: @plain_fiction