Perhaps I could say it better. Hmm... By the end, Roma _wasn't_ equipping most of its troops beyond sword, shield and maybe helmet. The U.S. hasn't changed its equipment much, but it is still equipping its troops. As far as I'm concerned, the U.S. isn't paying its troops as well as it should - though infinitely better than Roma did at the end. My main point is that on the average, the common soldier of both governments wasn't trained nearly enough - even with the quality NCOs and officers. (Though I've made this clear, and maybe I don't have all the info.)
Arthur Ferrell wrote _The Fall of the Roman Empire: the Military Explanation_, my copy of which was purchased at Barnes and Noble Booksellers. I wouldn't know why amazon.com has nothing on him, though I wouldn't normally trust them anyway.
Arthur Ferrell wrote _The Fall of the Roman Empire: the Military Explanation_, my copy of which was purchased at Barnes and Noble Booksellers. I wouldn't know why amazon.com has nothing on him, though I wouldn't normally trust them anyway.
). However, in my opinion, it's becoming far more likely that we'll achieve some level of real space flight long before creating a reliable laser pistol. I suppose lasers would be useful in a zero-g environment, simply because you aren't as likely to smack your gun hard when you hit the dirt. 
