The U.S. Navy has incorporated the installation of a laser weapon aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105).

The U.S. Navy has incorporated the installation of a laser weapon aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105).

The U.S. Navy has incorporated the installation of a laser weapon aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105). The purpose of this innovative new device is to defend against missile attacks launched against U.S. planes, ships, and other military equipment, as well as against targets within the United States or U.S. Territories.

As the commander of this ship, it is your duty to employ the laser to seek and destroy any such devices; however, you have received word that a medium-sized vessel laden with 1,000 pounds of high explosive is steaming toward the port of San Francisco. You have been assigned the task of taking out the vessel or otherwise stopping the delivery of the weapon of mass destruction to the Port of San Francisco. Will you be able to use the laser weapon against this vessel? How would you target the vessel without violating international protocol that forbids the use of lasers against human targets? What are your moral and ethical decisions?

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

Please review the following video on the USS Dewey (DDG 105) Laser Weapon System (LaWS) to supplement your knowledge about the weapon:

U.S. Navy. (2013, April 8). Laser Weapon System (LAwS) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmoldX1wKYQ

Please note there is no narrative component in this video.