Fact or Science Fiction:
Could Lasers become Viable Weapons in Modern World?
When I say the word ‘laser’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Perhaps, like the majority of people, your brain jumps straight to the science fiction. For decades, since 1898 when HG Wells novel War of the Worlds swept the nation, lasers have been popular within the genre of science fiction. From lightsabers, to ray guns it seems lasers have been imagined as a myriad of different weapons. This overwhelming prevalence of this particular idea is perhaps more astounding due to the fact that our civilization has been enthralled by the concept for nearly 2,500 years (Wilson, 2015). In fact Archimedes was one of the first known individuals to experiment …show more content…
The United States is not the only country that has toyed with the idea of researching lasers with the purpose of creating weapons. Many other countries have been pouring money and resources into laser research, especially recently. Most notably China, Israel, and Russia have been investing themselves in generating laser weapons, and making great progress in the field as well (Wilson, 2015). If this progress continues at its current rate, lasers will soon become the weapon to define an era of warfare. With an examination of the history of war it is clear that often an invention of a new weapon, or a new genre of weapon can quickly change the odds in a war, sometimes even secure victory. We have seen it countless times. The creation of the longbow in 14th century allowed the English to win the Battle of Agincourt and Crecy despite the odds being stacked against them. When it was guns against the more primitive arrows and spears in the many battles between indigenous peoples and european conquerors over the course of the conquest of the Americas, the less advanced weapons did not stand a chance.When the Germans invented the U-boat, or submarine, before World War I they changed marine warfare forever. The innovation of tanks suddenly minimized the efficiency of foot soldiers. Most recently, the United States development of the atomic bomb ended a war and ushered in a prominent new era of nuclear weaponry. Evolution of war has happened before and will inevitably happen again, we need to insure that we keep pace with this evolution so as not to be left in the
Could Lasers become Viable Weapons in Modern World?
When I say the word ‘laser’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Perhaps, like the majority of people, your brain jumps straight to the science fiction. For decades, since 1898 when HG Wells novel War of the Worlds swept the nation, lasers have been popular within the genre of science fiction. From lightsabers, to ray guns it seems lasers have been imagined as a myriad of different weapons. This overwhelming prevalence of this particular idea is perhaps more astounding due to the fact that our civilization has been enthralled by the concept for nearly 2,500 years (Wilson, 2015). In fact Archimedes was one of the first known individuals to experiment …show more content…
The United States is not the only country that has toyed with the idea of researching lasers with the purpose of creating weapons. Many other countries have been pouring money and resources into laser research, especially recently. Most notably China, Israel, and Russia have been investing themselves in generating laser weapons, and making great progress in the field as well (Wilson, 2015). If this progress continues at its current rate, lasers will soon become the weapon to define an era of warfare. With an examination of the history of war it is clear that often an invention of a new weapon, or a new genre of weapon can quickly change the odds in a war, sometimes even secure victory. We have seen it countless times. The creation of the longbow in 14th century allowed the English to win the Battle of Agincourt and Crecy despite the odds being stacked against them. When it was guns against the more primitive arrows and spears in the many battles between indigenous peoples and european conquerors over the course of the conquest of the Americas, the less advanced weapons did not stand a chance.When the Germans invented the U-boat, or submarine, before World War I they changed marine warfare forever. The innovation of tanks suddenly minimized the efficiency of foot soldiers. Most recently, the United States development of the atomic bomb ended a war and ushered in a prominent new era of nuclear weaponry. Evolution of war has happened before and will inevitably happen again, we need to insure that we keep pace with this evolution so as not to be left in the