{"id":83244,"date":"2026-03-18T17:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T17:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/03\/18\/the-pentagon-wants-to-field-laser-weapons-at-scale-within-3-years\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:04:31","slug":"the-pentagon-wants-to-field-laser-weapons-at-scale-within-3-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/industry\/techwatch\/2026\/03\/18\/the-pentagon-wants-to-field-laser-weapons-at-scale-within-3-years\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pentagon wants to field laser weapons at scale within 3 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. <\/i>Subscribe here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the U.S. military\u2019s dream of high-energy laser weapons has been perpetually \u201cfive years away.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the Pentagon says it wants to finally make them an operational reality within the next three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on a panel at the National Defense Industrial Association\u2019s annual Pacific Operational Science and Technology conference<\/a> in Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 9, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies Michael Dodd stated that the Defense Department plans on fielding directed energy weapons such as lasers and high-powered microwaves at scale within the next 36 months to defend service members from the threat of hostile drones, National Defense magazine reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Pentagon has deployed<\/a> a handful of laser weapons overseas in recent years for operational testing and officially designated<\/a> \u201cscaled directed energy\u201d as a critical technology area in November, this accelerated push for widespread fielding comes as U.S. forces engaged in the Operation Epic Fury struggle<\/a> to counter waves of Iranian Shahed drones raining down<\/a> across the Middle East, according<\/a> to fellow panelist Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering James Mazol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to be able to deal with mass, and we need to be able to defeat mass that\u2019s coming at us,\u201d Mazol said, per<\/a> National Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ambitions appear to have support at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Speaking at a White House press conference on Epic Fury on March 9, President Donald Trump touted<\/a> the potential of laser weapons as a cheaper alternative to the pricey interceptor missiles U.S. forces currently rely on to counter drones and other aerial threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe laser technology that we have now is incredible,\u201d Trump, who previously declared<\/a> laser weapons a key feature of his proposed \u201cTrump-class\u201d battleship, said. \u201cIt\u2019s coming out pretty soon. Where literally lasers will do the work of, at a lot less cost, what the Patriots are doing and what other things are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Trump: "The laser technology that we have now is incredible. It's coming out pretty soon. Where literally lasers will do the work of, at a lot less cost, what the Patriots are doing and what other things are doing." pic.twitter.com\/ugxLmwZ2c7<\/a><\/p>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>