How to Counter a Laser Weapon

High-energy laser weapons are spreading across the world. The US military is developing a playbook to fight back.

US Navy amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland conducts a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration on a static surface training target while sailing in the Gulf of Aden in December 2021. (US Marine Corps photo)

The US military has spent billions of dollars over decades building high-energy laser weapons capable of burning drones out of the sky,…