cover image Laser Weapons: The Dawn of a New Military Age

Laser Weapons: The Dawn of a New Military Age

Bengt Anderberg, B. Anderberg. Plenum Publishing Corporation, $24.95 (244pp) ISBN 978-0-306-44329-9

The potential impact of laser technology on warfare is the subject of this study. Swedish army officer Anderberg and American research physician Wolbarskt cover a broad spectrum of realities and possibilities, from high-energy lasers that have thermal effects on their targets to low-energy devices intended for use in guidance mechanisms, against sensors and against the human eye. Whether the purpose, in the latter case, is temporary visual impairment or permanent damage, the authors contend that the physical and psychological impact of such weapons is likely to be far greater then that of chemical weapons used during WW I. They deftly present the technical details of laser weaponry, and engagingly discuss the indeterminate status of lasers under international law. Their concluding hypothesis--that mass-produced anti-eye lasers may be a feature of future ``conventional'' battlefields--is chilling. (Nov.)