Energy-beam weapons still missing from action

updated 10:03 a.m. ET July 12, 2005

ARLINGTON, Va. - For years, the U.S. military has explored a new kind of firepower that is instantaneous, precise and virtually inexhaustible: beams of electromagnetic energy.  “Directed-energy” pulses can be throttled up or down depending on the situation, much like the phasers on “Star Trek” could be set to kill or merely stun.

Such weapons are now nearing fruition.  But logistical issues have delayed their battlefield debut — even as soldiers in Iraq encounter tense urban situations in which the nonlethal capabilities of directed energy could be put to the test.

“It’s a great technology with enormous potential, but I think the environment’s not strong for it,” said James Jay Carafano, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who blames the military and Congress for not spending enough on getting directed energy to the front.  “The tragedy is that I think it’s exactly the right time for this.”

The hallmark of all directed-energy weapons is that the target — whether a human or a mechanical object — has no chance to avoid the shot because it moves at the speed of light.  At some frequencies, it can penetrate walls.

Since the ammunition is merely light or radio waves, directed-energy weapons are limited only by the supply of electricity.  And they don’t involve chemicals or projectiles that can be inaccurate, accidentally cause injury or violate international treaties.

“When you’re dealing with people whose full intent is to die, you can’t give people a choice of whether to comply,” said George Gibbs, a systems engineer for the Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad Program who oversees directed-energy projects.  “What I’m looking for is a way to shoot everybody, and they’re all OK.”

Almost as diverse as the electromagnetic spectrum itself, directed-energy weapons span a wide range of incarnations.

Among the simplest forms are inexpensive, handheld lasers that fill people’s field of vision, inducing a temporary blindness to ensure they stop at a checkpoint, for example.  Some of these already are used in Iraq.

Other radio-frequency weapons in development can sabotage the electronics of land mines, shoulder-fired missiles or automobiles — a prospect that interests police departments in addition to the military.

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