Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to support my amendment to direct the Department of Defense to begin evaluating pulse laser capabilities and to brief Congress within 90 days on its feasibility against drone swarms in the near term and missile threats in the medium term.

Drone swarms and hypersonic weapons are advancing rapidly, overwhelming traditional defenses. Kinetic interceptors are costly, and continuous-wave lasers require long engagement times.

Pulsed lasers offer an opportunity and a breakthrough, delivering multi-gigawatt bursts that can neutralize drones instantly and engage multiple targets rapidly, making defense more affordable and scalable.

Pulsed lasers have advanced rapidly in recent years, building on the same industrial and scientific foundation as existing directed-energy systems but with greater efficiency and lethality.

The purpose of this amendment is not to deploy this technology immediately but to ensure the Department of Defense has a pathway to mature, test, and integrate this promising technology.

Pulsed lasers are complementary to existing missile defense programs. Kinetic systems remain essential for some threats, but magazine depth and cost limit them.

Pulsed lasers provide a scaleable, lower-cost layer that extends the effectiveness of the entire air and missile defense portfolio.

My amendment directs the U.S. Secretary of Defense to stay ahead of the adversaries and modernize our layered defenses and assess our potential pulse layer capabilities. I greatly appreciate the inclusion of my amendment in the en bloc. I ask my colleagues to support my amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source