An illustration of a satellite in orbit sending a laser to Earth. Most satellites rely on radio waves, but there are potential advantages to a system built on optical communications, particularly the amount of data that can be transmitted in a short time. (Shutterstock/Frame Stock Footage)

How Laser Communications Could Simplify Modern Warfare

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In modern wars, intelligence has an expiration date; being able to transmit information more quickly and reliably will help modern militaries to meet it.

Last week, the Ukrainian military reported a problem that must have seemed extraordinary: some of their drones were losing their satellite internet connection when they flew too fast. Restrictions affecting Starshield, the military service that uses SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, reportedly disrupted a number of sensitive Ukrainian missions during the throttling. One unit reported interruptions lasting 10 to 20 seconds. It goes without saying that during a conflict in which a drone may have just moments to spot and engage a target, those seconds matter enormously. 

What does this tell us about the nature of modern warfare? For one thing, it is that for all the importance of being able to see what your enemy is doing, the value of what you can see depends on the speed at which you can move that information, understand it, and act on it. If a satellite in space takes a photo of a mobile missile launcher positioned beside a certain........

© The National Interest