Pentagon chiefs observe laser, microwave weapon demonstration in New Mexico

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael attended a live demonstration of laser and microwave weapons at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on June 23, Axios reports.

The event marked the first known instance of a sitting U.S. defence secretary personally observing a live directed-energy weapon firing.

Directed-energy weapons, which use lasers or high-powered microwaves to disable targets, are increasingly viewed as a lower-cost option for countering drones and as part of layered air defence systems, although they have not yet been widely deployed operationally.

Among the systems demonstrated was the Army’s Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser, based on AeroVironment’s LOCUST platform. LOCUST previously downed multiple drones during trials aboard the USS George H.W. Bush in October.

In comments cited by Laser Wars, Michael said the Pentagon was expanding support for the technology.

“We have dramatically increased investment in scaling directed energy technologies, signalling to our manufacturing partners that the War Department is focused on delivering rapid solutions to the warfighter,” he said. “We are directly tackling manufacturability, reliability and integration — areas that have challenged transition under previous administrations.”

The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget allocates more than $2 billion for directed-energy research and development, underscoring the Pentagon’s push to accelerate deployment of the technology.

By Sabina Mammadli