April 18, 2020
South China Sea Questions: Could Speed-of-Light Weaponry Transform Gray Zone Competition?
Preventing a competitor from achieving their objective in the gray zone requires weapons with precision, stealth, and non-lethal capabilities. Could high-energy laser (HEL) and high-power microwave (HPM) systems, known as directed energy weapons, be the answer?
by David Stoudt
A little less than two weeks ago, Filipino fishermen in a small wooden fishing vessel were fishing within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone near the Spratly Islands. All of a sudden, a much larger ship appeared out of the night and rammed their small wooden vessel, causing it to sink. The fishermen stated that the Chinese vessel that rammed them simply turned, flashed their lights, and sped away, leaving the fishermen to fend for themselves in the open sea. Fortunately, a nearby Vietnamese fishing vessel rescued them. This may sound like fiction, but it’s actually the new normal for ships in the South China Sea.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/south-china-sea-questions-could-speed-light-weaponry-transform-gray-zone-competition
