Tuesday, May 6, 2008

DARPA's Military Mission & University Connections--Part 2

(See Part 1 below)

A professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College in 2001 who also directed studies on space, precision targeting and control for DARPA, William Martel, indicated in the 2001 book that he edited, The Technological Arsenal: Emerging Defense Capabilities, that DARPA is involved in developing directed-energy technologies, new weapons for targeting and advanced computer and information technologies for the U.S. war machine. According to Naval War College Professor Martel’s book, “directed energy technologies are useful for detecting and destroying in real time, military targets anywhere in the world."

The Technological Arsenal: Emerging Defense Capabilities book also stated in 2001:

“Future generations of U.S. cruise missiles will be able to destroy targets with the same degree of precision as piloted aircraft, especially as improvements in sensor and artificial intelligence technologies could hit targets with accuracy measured in feet…

“…U.S. military power is being enhanced by the development of computer, communication, and information technologies. Even now, computers are making life-and-death decisions in war that historically were reserved to humans. For example, computer and fire control systems on Aegis cruisers coordinate the radars and missiles that track hundreds of targets…When the U.S. Air Force deploys the airborne laser during the first decade of this century, its computer will determine when to fire the laser…”

Among the weapons that are being developed these days by DARPA for the 21st-century U.S. war machine are high-power microwaves for naval weapons that use microwave devices, high-power microwaves for the electronic battlefield, microwave weapons to destroy electronic equipment. cruise missile technology targeting weapons, unmanned space or air weapons, precision-guided laser bombs and space-based lasers to attack targets.

Next: DARPA’s Military Mission & University Connections—Part 3