Navy Shipboard Lasers for Surface, Air, and Missile Defense : Background and Issues for Congress

Author / Creator

Library of Congress. Foreign Affairs Division

Available as

Online

Summary

Discusses potential use of Navy shipboard lasers for countering surface, air, and ballistic missile threats. Examines shipboard lasers in general and types of lasers being developed for potential s...

Discusses potential use of Navy shipboard lasers for countering surface, air, and ballistic missile threats. Examines shipboard lasers in general and types of lasers being developed for potential shipboard use. Addresses Navy vision for shipboard lasers on surface vessels, remaining technical challenges, Office of Naval Research solid-state laser technology maturation effort, creation of Naval Directed Energy Steering Group, directed energy vision for U.S. naval forces, and Navy identification of destroyers and littoral combat ships as leading candidate platforms for laser weapons. Examines FY2012 Congressional report language, FY2013 funding request, issues and options for Congress, and legislative activity for FY2013.

This report is one in a series of updates. For the most recent coverage of this report series, please see 13-R4-1526d in the 2013 issue.

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