In a Wednesday hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, Maine Sen. Angus King (I) pressed senior U.S. Navy officials on a decrease in funding for directed energy weapon research and technology.
[RELATED: Angus King Denies Ukrainians Are Embezzling Any U.S. Tax Dollars, Claims Putin Will Invade Poland…]
Directed energy weapons, such as lasers, use energy fired at the speed of light instead of bullets or missiles, making them less expensive per shot than conventional weapons, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Many countries, including the U.S., are researching directed energy technology primarily for counter-drone missions due to their ability to temporarily disable electronics on a drone or physically destroy it.
In the Wednesday hearing, Sen. King questioned Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin and Navy Vice Admiral James Pitts about the Navy’s 2025 budget requests, and why the Navy would decrease funding for directed energy when our global adversaries are turning to it.
“What in the hell are you guys thinking? The Navy directed energy budget has gone practically to nothing. I don’t get it,” Sen. King said. “We are in a world of drones and low-cost missiles and low-cost drones, and this is the technology that can do something about this, and you are cutting the budget in half. This ought to be the highest priority. You should be doubling and tripling the budget.”
“Can you give me any rational reason for not pursuing this critical technology as we move into a time of swarming drones? I mean, we cannot shoot swarming drones down with missiles. Come on,” King asked, adding that the U.S. is “getting creamed” in the Red Sea, and that the Ukrainians “are getting creamed with cheap drones coming in from Iran.”
Secretary Guertin told King that while the “war fighters on the fleet are using the tools they have to do the work they need,” and have been successful, they are “perhaps on the wrong side of the cost curve.”
Guertin also told King that the Nacy is experimenting with a prototype directed energy weapon on its destroyers, the Lockheed Martin “HELIOS” — or “high-energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance.”
“The point is, budgets are policy and your policy is, we don’t give a damn about directed energy,” King continued his remarks. “That is what the policy is in this budget. I understand you’ve to make choices and everything else, but, to me, this is an obvious choice. It is like telling a soldier on the battlefield you cannot have a rifle. This is the technology of the 21st century, particularly for aerial warfare.”
“Admiral, want to take a crack at that? Wouldn’t you want to have directed energy on those destroyers?” King asked Admiral Pitts.
“Thank you, Senator. Yes, sir, we would,” Pitts responded. “And we are continuing efforts. It is an absolute valid point that our budget, we reduced our budget in this particular area of directed energy.”
Admiral Pitts responded that the Navy is researching higher energy land-based lasers and high-powered microwave weapons — but “not as fast as we would like.”
The full video of Sen. Angus King’s remarks in the Wednesday Armed Services Subcommittee hearing can be watched here.
Too many corporations making butt loads of money off missiles and conventional weapons ?
Hey Angus, we should ask you the same.question when it comes to illegal immigrants, green energy, 1 trillion dollars every100 days. Better yet what are Manners thinking when they keep.voting for you.
I’m guessing that senator Kinghole owns a lot of stock in Lockheed Martin.
Great tactic by the MIC to increase funding. Say you’re going to cut funding in a critical area so that neocons like King scream bloody murder and then you’ll get even more money. Rooster, you are spot on.
The military has been chasing directed energy weapons for decades without success. And what the hell is King talking about when he States the the U.S. Navy is getting ” creamed” in the Red Sea? I’ve yet to read of single navy ship being hit let alone sunk. Senator Fearmonger should take a break or start demanding of his fellow Democrat in the White House explain the individuals who are firing at American vessels are still breathing.
Senator you could save a lot of money by not giving money to Iran, but no your buddy Joe Biden just gives it to them to make cheep droans to send to us. You should ask your self WHAT THELL ARE YOU THINKING Join the Rebublican group you fool
The technology isn’t ready yet for prime time. It takes too much energy to generate an effective counter-weapon. Stop thinking that movies mimic reality. They do not. It is however ironical that King doesn’t view other 21st Century technology innovations as important.
King Anus is up for re-election and has to wake up and act like a senotor. Of course what isn’t said is while the development is going on we have ships in harms way that need to keep replenishing theKing Anus needs to make noise like he’s doing his job, because he has someone running against him. But, he doesn’t know sh*t about what he’s talking about. He is the same one that got the kids $50 dollar laptops that cost the taxpayers $1,500 and made himself a millionaire with useless windmills! Think about it!