Commander of U.S. Strategic Command: U.S. Doesn't Have Defenses Against Russia's And China's Hypersonic Weapons

U.S. Air Force General John Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Yuri Gripas, Reuters

CNBC: China and Russia are 'aggressively pursuing' hypersonic weapons, and the US can't defend against them, top nuclear commander says

* America's top nuclear commander said the U.S. doesn't have defenses against hypersonic weapons.
* "Both Russia and China are aggressively pursuing hypersonic capabilities," said Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
* Earlier this month, Russia announced a slew of new nuclear weapons as well as hypersonic missiles.

America's top nuclear commander described a grim scenario for U.S. forces facing off against a new breed of high-speed weapons that Russia and China are developing.

"We don't have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us," Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. This means that, as of now, the U.S. has to rely on deterrence against these so-called hypersonic weapons, he said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., then asked the general to explain what a hypersonic weapon is and what it does.

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More News On Today's Testimony From U.S. Air Force General John Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command

Stratcom Chief Testifies on Command’s Readiness to Deter, Respond -- US Department of Defense
StratCom Chief Worries Amid Claims of 'Unstoppable' Russian Missile -- Military.com
Nuclear commander says Russia and China are developing high-speed hypersonic weapons and the US can't defend against them -- Daily Mail
China and Russia are 'aggressively pursuing' hypersonic weapons — and the US doesn't have any defenses -- Business Insider
U.S. Says Russia Increasing Deployment Of 'Banned' Cruise Missile -- RFE
StratCom commander backs deployment of low-yield nukes on submarine-launched ballistic missiles -- Omaha World-Herald
US Strategic Command Supports Need for Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons - Commander -- Sputnik
Top general: Now not the 'right' time to create a 'Space Force' -- The Hill
US military should step up cyber ops: general -- AFP