If this article is truly accurate then we are on the verge of having laser cannon equipped jet fighters. Being a technology enthusiast and avid science fiction fan my first reaction is one of intrigue and excitement, after all, its one more technological fantasy realized and another barrier knocked down for science. The reality of it however, could have much greater implications regarding the geo-political conditions around the world, especially if the United States is the only nation to hold such technological advantage. The wide disparity between military capability of other nations of the world and the US has been status quo for decades however conventional wars are still costly and messy if the latest news-worthy conflicts are any testament.

I put forward the idea that if/when the US monopolizes the capability to deploy laser technology in a convenient and cost effective way on a tactical scale ten or more years ahead of any other military power, the balance of power will dramatically shift in the world in the way it did when the first nuclear weapons were deployed in World War II. I would suggest that the shift will be even greater this time around since it did not take long for the USSR to develop their own nuclear arsenal shortly after the US. I don’t expect adverserial powers to catch up quite so quickly this time around as the US has had 50+ years of unmatched military spending and R&D.

What are the implications of absolute military superiority of a sole nation in today’s world? It’s tempting to think that the threat of mutually assured destruction from nuclear weapons still has the power to keep everyone in check but what if the laser technology really is perfected to the point where conventional and intercontinental missiles become obsolete? Without the threat of the nuclear boogeyman what’s to stop a nation, even one that claims moral repute, from leveraging this advantage?

Predictably, I will recall an episode of Star Trek TNG where the first officer of the Enterprise is granted the omnipotence of the Q, a god-like race that can manipulate reality itself. Being a show about good humanist values, the commander struggles between the desire to leverage his new abilities to do “great good” and his obligations as a member of a civilization that upholds the policy of non-interference. Not having the meta-physical maturity to use such abilities responsibly, it becomes clear that even attempts to do good can have very negative side effects. So given that even well intending agents can and probably will screw up, imagine when an agent that has conflicting values and interests and is capable of massive self-serving agendas wields such immutable power.

That being said, let me state that I am very Pro-US, however, I hold my nation to a very high standard of moral integrity which I must admit it has fallen short of dramatically. It cannot be denied that the balance of power is essential to maintaining stability in the world and governs how far nations will go to assure their own self interests. When that balance of power is gone, can we trust our leaders to use power responsibly. While I have faith in good people and I believe that most people will do the right thing, people who seek power are rarely of this ilk. I am not so confident in my leaders as I wish I could be.

The United States already dominates air and sea, and the deployment of practical tactical lasers would seal dominance over land as well. If this becomes a reality, I pray that we will be responsible.

As I was reading Cindy Alvarez’s blog post regarding how insulted she was at being told what a good diamond looks like, I couldn’t help but get a little irritated. While I think that while she makes good points regarding the reality of who determines the quality standards of what sells, I think this highlights [...]

There’s something that’s been on my mind for a long time and grows more into focus as things get worse in the world. By worse I specifically mean the economy and the sustainability of the status quo. It’s become clear to me that things will not stay the way they are for very much longer [...]

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I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but I cannot help but reiterate how strange it is that my life inherits certain themes for periods of time. Occasionally I will read something, or see a movie or tv show, or I will have a profound conversation with someone with a theme that suddenly becomes frequently echoed [...]