
The Air Force Research Lab is "conducting research... to accurately predict the effects of lasers on various threat targets. Laser vulnerability assessments on space, tactical/ground, and missile, systems, subsystems, and components shall be completed to accurately predict the consequences of lasers interaction with these targets. "
The Naval Surface Warfare Center is launching "scientific investigations into the effects of Laser Weapons on marine mammals." And it's looking to "leverage of existing and/or Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items into militarily useful laser weapon systems within two to three years."
Emphasis should be placed on an initial capability that could counter a subset of asymmetric threats such as jet skies [sic], small boat swarm attacks, rockets, mortars, artillery rounds, manpads [shoulder-fired missiles], electro-optic sensors, and soft unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Pentagon's High Energy Laser-Joint Technology Office is taking a slightly longer view, looking to kick in $10 million a year for all kinds of ray guns... from gas-powered lasers to electric ones to free electron lasers.
Meanwhile, the Air Force wants to "conduc[t] research to identify the benefits, risks, and capabilities for a wide range of military RF/HPM radiation systems" -- weapons that rely on radio frequency or high-powered microwaves.
The idea is to both "predict and mitigate the bio-effects of directed energy on personnel and mission performance" (protect our guys, in other words) and "to exploit the bio-effects of directed energy for [w]eapons applications" (zap foes with our new microwave guns).
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