With Directed Energy Weapons coming online soon, what do you
guys think of its implications for warfare? (DEW refers to EMP
weapons, Lasers as well as plasma, yes, 
plasma weapons) Personally, I believe that warfare
would be more seriously affected by weather and line-of-sight
problems, and for these reasons, missiles will never be obsolete.
Stealth too, will be of increasing importance, as with DEW, warfare
is literally at the speed of light. Detection will, under ideal
conditions, probably mean destruction, with the utilisation of
lasers. It would then be interesting to think of how large
platforms like the aircraft carrier would survive in these kind of
conditions... would there be a resurgence of armour on land
platforms which have a heavy emphasis on thermal protectiion, with
kinetic weapons beiong handled by an active protection system? I
mean, the implications of DEW on the future battlefield is just
so.... huge...