
The defense industrial base for directed energy weapons (DEWs) suffers from inconsistent demand, insufficient production capabilities, limited suppliers, reliance on China for certain rare metallic elements, and labor shortages, says a new report by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Developments in different technologies have advanced the capabilities of DEWs to counter more threats—and with some systems simultaneously—and more affordably that existing weapon systems, NDIA says in Directed Energy Weapon Supply Chains: Security the Path to the Future. “However, the…