I have entries concerning the Hawaii Cruise we took two years ago under the label "Cruising". I was thinking (as I sometimes do) about the people we meet on a vacation. For example the wonderful couple from the UK we met (quite literally bumped into) at a resort in Mexico. They became lifelong friends and we communicate quite frequently.
Other times, the people we meet become casual acquaintances and the recognition does not go beyond acknowledging them while on the vacation. On the Hawaii cruise we had 12 "sea days" altogether. so there was ample time to meet and get acquainted with quite a few people. We were on the cruise with some good friends of ours who are our neighbors, but we did not spend all our time with them. We occasionally ate meals at different times and in different places so one cannot help but sit very close to someone who is friendly and who does not mind striking up a conversation.
One day at lunch, we were at the buffet at a particularly busy time and there were few table vacancies to chose from. We sat beside a couple from New York, retirement age, and friendly looking. We engaged in small talk, where we were from, had we cruised before, had we been to Hawaii before and on and on. For women, these conversations inevitably lead to talk about family, you know, kids, grandkids, aging parents, etc. For guys, the talk steers towards careers or occupation, and interests and hobbies.
That is where it took an interesting turn. He pondered his answer and then said, in a vague sort of way, that he was with the Canadian Army until the previous year and was on loan to Israel. He was now retired. Keep in mind that the war in Gaza was blazing hot at that time and I was very interested in what was happening there. I asked in what capacity he was engaged and he indicated that it was in research and development and that he had a few engineering degrees. Now I was all ears and I just knew I was going to learn something.
I had just been reading about and watching videos about the IDF's Iron Dome, the shield of protection that was created to shoot down incoming missiles from the enemy. The video in particular was taking about a new weapon that would make the defensive missiles obsolete. Because they (each missile) was very costly, the search was on for something more economical, efficient, and effective. The story said that the IDF was on the verge of perfecting laser beams that could take down incoming missiles. Each blast would cost pennies in electricity and could even run with a large battery on the laser launcher. And best of all, they were 100% automated in both detection, guidance, and firing.
So I went out on a limb and asked him if he was involved in developing this technology. Immediately, his wife kicked him under the table and said in a low voice, "Be careful what you say." I knew I had hit paydirt. I also knew I had to be careful how I drew him out, but I was determined to find out where the technology was and if they were indeed using it already. He reluctantly, at first, admitted that that was what he had been working on. He then talked in vague terms about the theoretical aspects of the weapon, and then about the challenges that had to be overcome. Several more times, his wife gave him the eye, and even warned him about saying too much. He reassured her that he was being careful to not divulge too much information. Quite frankly, I was surprised he was saying anything at all.
It was a most fascinating conversation as he was surprised that I knew so much about it. What I did learn in the end was that the weapon was not yet ready to use, but they were very close. I also learned that the hurdle to cross was projecting the laser beam at distance, because the farther the target, the more the laser beam would build up resistance in front of itself, or what he called 'plasma'. He told me that at best they were able to fog up the "eyes" of the guidance system on the missile, and that might be enough if they were accurate enough in their aim.
It was a long and most interesting lunch. And I never saw him or his wife again for the rest of the cruise.
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