I wonder if standard procedure in the future will involve "seeding" the target area just before a mortar attack with Mylar foil chaff, in order to diffuse or deflect the lasers sufficiently to prevent destruction of the shell.

Seriously its nearly 2013. You can't post an article about a laser blowing crap up without a video!!!

Video David! I want one! my 1.5 watt 445 mn laser is fun, this would be a blast! umm Dave, you have not played with lasers, my 1.5 watt has no problem with reflectives other than me making sure that I am wearing safety glasses, the difference between 1.0 watt and 1.5 is shocking 1. 0nly dark colors, 1.5 any color 50KW sheet

@ Dave MacLachlan. How would you imagine they would "seed" said foil? With a mortar? Rocket? Aircraft? Any attempt to put it there in the first place would also be a target for this technology. I can't imagine it being viable. It would be far more effective to coat any projectile/rocket in a highly reflective coating from the outset.

The shells could be two-part; first goes "poof" and releases chaff, 2nd part goes "boom" when it hits.
Or, could be preliminary bombardment with just chaff shells; sacrificial ones to entice the lasers.
Similar in concept to the ICBM designs that would have multiple decoys intermixed with the actual MIRV warheads, designed to spoof any ABM systems.
Who knows? Every time a new tech comes along promising to do X, another tech gets developed to counter it.

how about a microwave emitter that fries the electronics of missiles?

90% of the casualties from artillery are taken in the first 9 seconds. Simply stopping the first salvo will give enough time for the average soldier to find or make cover.

If you can blow up a drone at 1km, than you should be able to do skin surgery from much farther. Imagine space based tattoo/hair removal. Patients will no longer have to leave their home--they just have to hold still. Yeah progress!
But seriously, they basically focus two lasers to the same spot. How hard will it be to focus a phalanx of such lasers on a battle field to provide both massive additive power and/or redundancy/overlap. Not only can you protect against mortars and kamikaze drones, you can basically cook the entirety of the opposing troops and all their fuel/ammunition. Would you still need bullets then?

How come Israel went with Iron Dome rather than THEL? A hell of a lot cheaper per shot!

I expect the first salvo of shells would consist of solid slugs which rotate to disperse heat or as likely shells would get ablative thermal coatings. Sensors attached in both would give the location of the counter battery laser unit which would be a direct target for the next salvo using smoke shells, bomblets and EMP weapons. Artillery always prioritises counter battery fire first.