For years, the United States has been concerned about a news weapon class that has the ability to change warfare as we know it - part of a category of weapons that were once only seen in science fiction films, today they are more than a reality. A directed energy weapon uses highly focused energy such as lasers, microwaves and particle beams to damage its targets. Electra-magnetic pulses can be used to take out electric circuits of entire cities within a flash and Laser-based weapons have been developed to intercept and destroy missiles since the days of the Star Wars program in the 80s. These are the weapons that would open a new realm of warfare - outer space.
