The Pentagon's Ray Gun

View this 60 Minutes segment which aired on 2 March 2008, entitled the Pentagon's Ray Gun

"Straight out of Buck Rogers and perfect for crowd control, this non-lethal weapon could help eliminate the deaths incurred while trying to control crowds, especially in Iraq. David Martin reports."

Directed energy weapons : do we have a game plan? by Timothy Lincoln

Summary: Warfare is an evolving process where innovations in technology and the application of that technology to military operations combined to provide an opportunity to gain military advantage. Today's military performs missions across the spectrum of warfare. In these roles, operators and planners must leverage technology in order to gain an advantage over their enemy and protect their forces. Directed Energy (DE) weapons (DEW) are at the forefront of the next revolution in military weaponry. These weapons seemingly promise the military planner and operator a wide variety of lethal and non-lethal capabilities to meet the challenges across the spectrum of warfare. The progress the U.S. is making in the development of these weapons holds the prospect of significant new capabilities in both offensive and defensive operations.