[extropy-chat] ray gun

[Adrian Tymes]

--- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> I can imagine
> a future war being fought in one night, with few if any
> actual human casualties, where the guys with the laser fly 
> over and quietly knock out all the other guy's tanks, planes
> and missiles.  

That works if the laser-less side depends heavily on tanks,
planes, and missiles.  Problem is, in the last few major US
military conflicts, the backbone of the enemy has been infantry
(and not very well trained or equipped infantry, either - but
usually highly motivated).

This has actually become a bit of a problem in US military
thinking.  Sure, people prepare for big-state-on-big-state war,
just like WWII...but that's not what we're actually fighting
anymore.