Navy Chief Outlines Laser Weapons for Future Warships

Daryl Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee on May 14 that directed-energy weapons are needed to reduce reliance on defensive interceptors aboard Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Caudle said the current system forces a trade-off between defensive and offensive weapons inside the limited space of each ship’s vertical launch system.

He cited Operation Epic Fury as an example where nine surface combatants fired 207 Tomahawk missiles while protecting sea lanes under missile and drone threat.

Caudle stated that current destroyers, including Flight III Arleigh Burke-class ships, cannot support the power demands of high-energy lasers. He said future nuclear-powered battleships and next-generation surface combatants must be designed from the keel up with the necessary power and cooling capacity. Battleship procurement is planned to begin in 2028, with delivery projected for the 2030s.

Caudle described the Containerized Capability Campaign as a way to deploy lasers and other systems across existing platforms without major structural changes. In October 2025 the Navy tested a 30 kW containerized laser on the USS George H.W. Bush. Lockheed Martin is developing a containerized version of the 60 kW HELIOS system now installed on the destroyer USS Preble so the weapon can move between ships during maintenance periods.

The Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request includes funding for continued development of these containerized directed-energy capabilities.