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Navy/USMC

Navy Leaders See Battleship As Force Function For Lasers, Zumwalt As Testbed For Battleship

Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

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Navy Leaders See Battleship As Force Function For Lasers, Zumwalt As Testbed For Battleship

Artist rendering of Lockheed Martin's HELIOS laser weapons system used on an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. (Image: Lockheed Martin)

SAN DIEGO – Top Navy officers this week argued the Trump-class battleship may become a “forcing function” to bolster the demand signal for laser weapon development while the Zumwalt-class destroyer may become a testbed for future battleship weapons. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) told reporters here on Tuesday that since conducting his Naval Postgraduate School thesis work on high energy lasers, he has been a big supporter of using megawatt-class power levers for ship and base defense while also…

Congress

House Appropriators Unveil $1.07 Trillion FY ‘27 Defense Bill, Restore Funds For E-7, Army Aviation

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Congress

MOSA Implementation By Pentagon Lagging, GAO Official Says

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Congress

HASC Wants Info On Army’s Plans To Pursue Autonomous Aerial Delivery, Surface Vessels For Logistics

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Congress

McConnell: “Safe To Conclude There Will Not Be A Third Reconciliation Bill”

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