WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) raised concerns over the United States’ hypersonic missile defense capabilities at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. King, the ranking member of the subcommittee, urged General Anthony J. Cotton, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command for the Air Force, and General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command for the Air Force, to support investments in U.S. hypersonic missile technologies to keep up with Russia, China, and North Korea.

“Two things, I just wanted to follow-up on the discussion of hypersonics. I believe we have missed two critical strategic technologies and are woefully behind, hypersonics and directed energy. These are things that we should have seen coming and now we are playing catch up. I just want to emphasize not only do we need a hypersonic weapon for deterrent possibilities, but we need hypersonic defense. Those aircraft carriers in the pacific are sitting ducks for hypersonic missiles coming at them 4,000 to 5,000 miles an hour, 100 feet above the surface of the ocean. So, hypersonic defense is something I think we need to invest in, as well as the development of a hypersonic offensive capacity in order, again, to provide a deterrent. General Cotton, would you agree?” asked Senator King.

“I do agree with that statement,” replied General Cotton.

“The other thing I wanted to mention, it has, sort of, become conventional wisdom here that we are going from one near peer adversary to two. I believe we are going from one near peer adversary to three and a half because of, as I think you touched upon this, the growing cooperation between China and Russia. And then you put in Iran, which has also become a contributor to Russia's war machine, as well as North Korea, which is also contributing to Russia's efforts in Ukraine. I think we need to think strategically, not two near peer adversaries, but the potential of two near peer adversaries who are working together. And that creates its own strategic challenges. General Cotton, what are your thoughts on that?” Senator King asked.

“Senator, you are absolutely right and that is what we are actually doing at STRATCOM today. When we look at, and you are right, I call them third-party influencers. And what I mean by that and to your point, I would add, one, I think is a little different nuance, that is the new relationship that we are seeing that is happening between Russia and the DPRK. So, we are talking about DPRK. We're talking about Iran, we’re talking about China, as well as the Russian Federation,” General Cotton confirmed.

“I think we have to assume that, in a time of serious conflict, it would not be just with one or the other. It could well and probably would involve all four of those powers that you’ve mentioned,” argued Senator King.

“That is why I call them the third-party influencers because what they could do is they can be a distraction from the main effort that could be launched by any one of those that we had mentioned,” replied General Cotton.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as an authoritative voice on national security and foreign policy issues. Senator King has previously spoken up about the emerging threats of Russia and China’s development of “nightmare weapon” hypersonic missiles, which he has described as “strategic game-changers.” He previously urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to take advantage of private sector technologies or risk losing access to innovative defense technologies and encouraged the (DoD) to reevaluate its acquisition process of defense technologies. Additionally, Senator King has been a steady voice on the need to address the growing nuclear capacity of our adversaries.

###