The U.S. has begun deploying laser weapon systems in Europe as a countermeasure to the increasing threat of potential drone strikes. Stars and Stripes reported that the U.S. has deployed the Compact Laser Weapon System at various undisclosed locations around Europe. The report described the system as a directed-energy weapon that would be part of air defense. The laser system is not meant to be operating as a standalone weapons system, but rather as an integrated part of a layered defense architecture. Those weapons, crucial for air defense, have been used faster than military contractors can build them.