Laser coherent detection has higher sensitivity than that of direct detection, which makes it has outstanding applications in the short-range civil field and remote defense security. The applications of laser coherence measurement in defense and security are focused on, such as the classification and identification of camouflage or partially hidden targets, and the acousto-optical detection of buried mines. Combined with the current development of laser coherent detection in the field of in-vehicle automatic driving, the future development of laser coherent detection in the military and defense fields is forecasted.