The Future of Warfare

For several decades, missiles were the cutting edge of technology that no modern military could do without. Despite this, missile defense systems do have some serious drawbacks. First, the Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles the U.S. Navy deploys costs millions of dollars. Moreover, once fired, the ship is highly vulnerable with little remaining defense. To counter this threat, the U.S. military is currently testing a new laser system that only costs pennies to fire and is virtually inexhaustible.

The USS Ponce carries an arsenal of laser weapons. Stationed in the Middle East, the ship may also address another threat often employed by Iran - fast, small attack vessels that attempt to overwhelm slower, larger ships. If proven as reliable as missiles, eventually lasers may replace other more conventional weapons and save billions of dollars annually.

Read more at http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/americas-master-plan-crush-iranian-warships-13602