
The Department of Defense’s directed energy efforts are too concentrated on laser weapons and should pay more attention to other approaches, such as high-power microwaves and neutral particle beam systems, according to the Pentagon’s new research chief.While lasers have been the subject of several high-profile demonstrations and deserve continued funding, other technologies also hold promise in defeating difficult targets and should undergo further development, said Michael Griffin, who took office as undersecretary of defense for research and engineering a few…