| This is Tom Clancy-ish bullshit fantasy. In the modern era it's not possible to be completely safe from attack, the world is too interconnected. Our safety is partly dependent on the absence of major power vs. major power popularly supported animosity. A modern version of total war would not look like the WWII version of total war, or even the Cold War hypothetical WW3 version of total war. Instead it looks like economic war, trade war, sabotage, cyber war, espionage, and guerrilla warfare/terrorism. Want to hear a funny joke? "How many lasers does it take to stop a nuclear bomb being exploded in a shipping container in the port of a major population center?" ... "Give up? Here's the ans.." zzzzrt FLASH The punchline is you're dead. Want to hear a funnier joke? How vulnerable is our critical power, fuel, manufacturing, transportation, water, and emergency medical care infrastructure to sabotage? Here the punchline is: we're fucked. You can't use laser weapons to conquer the 21st century Earth, at best you can use them as part of a deterrent. The moment you become a hegemonic asshole then you end up being a major target for asymmetrical warfare. Look at what happened with Russia vs. a teeny, tiny group of folks in Chechnya/Dagestan. Not only were tens of thousands of Russian troops killed in brutal urban warfare but hundreds of Russian civilians were killed by terrorist attacks within Russia proper. Chechnya has a population one one thousandth of China. Imagine turning China into a new Chechnya by attempting to conquer it with violence. Anti-ballistic missile lasers don't help with car bombs, they don't help with assassinations, or kidnappings, or sabotage. Moreover, there is too much mutual self-interest against a major military confrontation between any of the major economies of the world for anything of the sort to be likely. The major conflicts of the 21st century are, as now, likely to be of a much different nature. |
I just see their desire being able to exert influence wherever needed, even with actors that at the moment don't really need to take notice.
In addition don't see at point where the US will see its military capability being challenged as an acceptable situation to its leaders, congress or population at large.
The main reason that Reagan's SDI (Star Wars) was so significant was that the US knew it couldn't be done at the time it was announced, but the USSR knew it couldn't be achieved by them in the foreseeable future. This provided real impetus to bring the USSR to the table.
Do you really think the US likes what is going on in Ukraine, or the Spratly Islands? They don't really care if its right or wrong, just that want to be able to suggest that no one goes against its wishes, and then no one does without question.
If you can do this with a symbolic weapon then its easier.