4-25-96. WaPo: "Israelis Eye U.S. Laser As Anti-Rocket Defense. Nautilus High-Energy Laser Beam Burns Surface of Weapon." Two months ago, in a test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the U.S. Army used the laser to shoot down two Katyusha rockets that earlier had been seized by Israel. The test caught the attention of the aerospace community because it offered evidence of Nautilus's efficacy, especially its new tracking system upgraded with more sophisticated computer software. The laser, beamed at a rocket for only a second or two, disables it by melting its surface, causing it to explode and crash to Earth. "Spy Chief's Grasp Reaches Other Pockets." The Senate intelligence committee yesterday approved a major expansion in power for the director of central intelligence (DCI) by giving the director authority not only over the CIA budget but also over all intelligence spending, most of which currently is controlled by the Pentagon. Such a radical change is likely to run into strong opposition not only from the military services themselves, but also from other congressional committees with Pentagon oversight. ROC_poc