The U.S. Navy is preparing for a future where high-energy lasers, not missiles, form the first line of defense at sea, reshaping how warships fight and survive in combat. America’s top naval officer, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle, has outlined a vision in which megawatt-class directed energy weapons are deployed on future warships as part of a new defense strategy. He argues that lasers and other directed energy systems should become the default response to close-range threats, allowing ships to engage incoming drones, missiles, and aircraft at the speed of light. In his view, naval point-defense must gradually shift away from traditional ammunition and gun-based interceptors, moving instead toward scalable, precise, and cost-effective laser solutions.