In November 2021, China successfully launched a hypersonic missile that caught the U.S. off guard. (See “DUH! PENTAGON SURPRISED BY CHINA’S TEST OF HYPERSONIC MISSILE,” 2 Nov 2021.)

The Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley said at the time that the launch came close to being a “Sputnik moment”—referring to Russia’s launch of the first artificial satellite that surprised the world over 60 years ago. The Financial Times reported at the time that the tests took “U.S. intelligence by surprise.”

The news of the hypersonic missile launches dropped shortly after the Pentagon’s former software chief told the paper that Beijing has already won the artificial intelligence race with the U.S. and will likely further its lead in other technologies in the future.

The Wall Street Journal published a report last week that went further into how the U.S.—which spends more than any other country on its military—is dreadfully behind Russia and China in hypersonic technology. 

The paper mentioned the November 2021 test and said the missile launched by China could hit anywhere in the world in under one hour—and traveled at 20 times the speed of sound.

The WSJ said the U.S. has invested billions into the technology over the past 60 years, and still does not have a weapon that matches China’s—noting that Washington has been distracted over the past few decades by fighting its “War on Terror.” The U.S. has been credited with training adversarial countries on how to develop these weapons.

The U.S. has earmarked $5 billion in its 2024 military budget to focus on the technology, the report said. 

The paper said there have been issues at nearly every level vis-à-vis the development of the weapons and there is a real risk of first-strike capabilities that could render the world’s most powerful military weakened. For example, the paper noted that China could target a U.S. warship in the South China Sea and that ship would be essentially defenseless. 

Hypersonic weapons can travel at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and can maneuver, which makes them almost impossible to intercept. This is not some far-off threat. Russia has used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine and China’s missiles are ready for its arsenal.

TREND FORECAST: As the saying goes, “Generals are always fighting the last war.” And America’s post-WWII war track record is an unblemished failure. From their weaponry to tactics, the U.S. military have exemplified a common misconception and/or misunderstanding of technology and development in warfare… regardless of who they are fighting.

Indeed, the U.S. is still paying for its disastrous intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. (See “U.S. DISASTROUS WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN: WASHINGTON’S STUPIDITY” 5 July 2023.)

China has said that it is not in any kind of arms race with any country, but Beijing would have to be dense not to consider the U.S.’s militaristic approach to the Taiwan issue and its effort to slow the country’s growth. 

Russia reportedly showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un its “Kinzhal” hypersonic missile earlier this month. Kim was also shown three models of strategic bombers—the Tu-160, Tu-95, and Tu-22M3, according to Al Jazeera. 

“It can fly from Moscow to Japan and then back again,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

The U.S. will continue to spend billions on the development and pull in its allies to do the same. War is good for business.

TREND FORECAST: As we have forecast, should the United States, which has not won a war since WWII, launch a war against China, it will lose:

● “CHINA MILITARY. READY FOR WAR?” (2 Feb 2021)

● “RUSSIA, CHINA VS. USA: THE WINNER IS?” (21 Dec 2021)

● “U.S. GENERAL DECLARES U.S. ‘READY’ TO DEFEND TAIWAN IF CHINA INVADES” (10 Aug 2021)

● “U.S. SENATE PANEL RAMPS UP CONFLICT WITH CHINA: BIDEN READY TO GO TO WAR WITH CHINA” (20 Sep 2022)

● “WASHINGTON RAMPS UP WAR TENSIONS WITH CHINA: $10 BILLION IN U.S. MILITARY AID TO TAIWAN” (20 Dec 2022)

● “BIDEN RAMPS UP WAR WITH CHINA, AMERICA WILL NUKE TO PROTECT JAPAN” (17 Jan 2023)  

● “SPOTLIGHT: WAR WITH CHINA” (7 Feb 2023) 

● “WWIII: U.S. QUADRUPLES TROOPS IN TAIWAN IN PREPARATION FOR WAR WITH CHINA” (28 Feb 2023) 

● “U.S. RAMPING UP WAR WITH CHINA” (18 Apr 2023)