%201.svg){kind=icon}
%201.svg)
A recent live-fire exercise in the plains of Oklahoma has illuminated the future of the American battlefield. On June 27, 2025, U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Sill successfully tested the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) system, using a powerful 50-kilowatt laser mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle to track and destroy a swarm of hostile drones. The test represents a critical milestone in the Pentagon's long-sought goal of moving directed energy weapons from the laboratory to the front lines, offering a revolutionary answer to one of modern warfare's most vexing threats.
The successful exercise, conducted by soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, demonstrated the tangible progress of a technology that promises to change the calculus of warfare. The DE M-SHORAD system is designed specifically to counter the growing prevalence of inexpensive and easily weaponized unmanned aerial systems (UAS), as well as rockets, artillery, and mortars. By engaging targets at the speed of light, these laser weapons offer a defensive solution that is not only precise but also incredibly cost-effective.
The implications for the U.S. Army are profound. In an age where adversaries can deploy dozens of drones for a fraction of the cost of a single traditional interceptor missile, the economic equation of air defense has become increasingly untenable. A laser, powered by the vehicle's own generator, offers a near-limitless magazine and a "cost-per-shot" that can be measured in dollars rather than the tens of thousands for a missile. This allows commanders to engage swarms of low-value targets without depleting their finite and expensive high-end munitions, preserving them for more advanced threats like cruise missiles and enemy aircraft.
"The DE M-SHORAD is rapidly emerging as a cornerstone of the Army's evolving strategy to maintain air superiority and protect maneuver forces in an increasingly drone-saturated battlefield," a U.S. Army spokesperson stated following the test. The event was not just a technology demonstration but a step in developing the tactics and procedures that will allow soldiers to effectively integrate this new capability into a layered defense alongside traditional kinetic weapons.
This progress in the Army mirrors a broader, if sometimes halting, push across the entire U.S. military to harness the power of directed energy. The U.S. Navy has been a pioneer in this field, having already deployed lower-powered systems like the 30-kilowatt Laser Weapon System (LaWS) and more recently the 60-kilowatt High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) aboard its destroyers. This month, the Navy awarded a new contract for the "Songbow" project, which aims to develop a formidable 400-kilowatt laser, signaling a significant leap in power and ambition.
The Air Force, through its Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is also heavily invested, developing systems like the Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR), a microwave-based weapon designed to disable swarms of drones, and pursuing airborne lasers that could one day be mounted on fighter jets.
Significant challenges remain, however. Transitioning these systems from prototypes to fully integrated and fielded programs of record has proven difficult. Issues with generating sufficient power on mobile platforms, managing the immense heat produced by high-energy lasers, and overcoming the "bloom" effect - where atmospheric conditions like dust and humidity can diffuse the laser's energy - are persistent technical hurdles. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted that while the Department of Defense spends roughly $1 billion annually on directed energy, the services have struggled to create clear transition plans to get these weapons into the hands of warfighters at scale. Despite these obstacles, the successful test at Fort Sill provides compelling evidence that the tipping point for directed energy is approaching. As the technology matures and the operational need becomes more acute, the silent, invisible beams of high-energy lasers are poised to become a common and critical element of American military might.
