The Pentagon's Laser Weapon Promise — and the Problem of Keeping It

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wants the US defense industrial base to build “tens to hundreds” of directed energy weapons.

A palletized LOCUST Laser Weapon System from defense contractor AV on the flight deck of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush during a live-fire test in October 2025. (AV)

The US military has a message for America’s directed energy industry: it’s time to build.

In a written posture statement submitted to the House Armed Services Committee ahead…