This study analyzes, in the context of international relations and security dynamics, the asymmetric threats posed by short-range unmanned aerial vehicles in 21st-century military operations and the use of directed-energy-based weapons-especially laser technologies-as one of the effective countermeasures. The article shows that the operational and financial resilience of traditional kinetic air defense systems is weakened in the face of mass "saturation" attacks and the economic paradox of "cheap targets-expensive responses." Drawing on Robert Jervis's offense-defense balance approach and Martin Shaw's concept of risk transfer, the study examines how laser weapons affect the global balance of power, how they reshape the security dilemma, and what gaps and ambiguities arise in international legal regulation. Based on a comparison of empirical cases such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Red Sea crisis, the study concludes that a more realistic approach for future defense strategies is a hybrid, multi-layered defense architecture in which laser and missile systems, together with other means, complement one another. However, the operational effectiveness of lasers may be conditioned by factors such as atmospheric conditions, direct line-of-sight to the target, and constraints related to power supply and logistics. The findings indicate that the accelerated spread of laser technologies is shaping interstate arms competition not only in terms of numerical growth, but also in terms of quality, integration, and operational adaptability.