JAKARTA - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said China's hypersonic missile test over the summer sparked "concerns" about Beijing's growing capabilities.
However, he said he did not compare the missile test with Russia's launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, in the 1950s.
"It's a term I wouldn't use, I don't use it personally," Defense Secretary Austin replied as quoted by VOA, November 19.
Secretary Austin described China as a "paced challenge" for the US military, but added Washington was focusing on "strong capabilities across all areas" rather than one specific capability such as hypersonic weapons.
Although China's weapon missed its target by several kilometers, according to the Financial Times, the test marked the first time any country has sent a fully hypersonic weapon across Earth. Hypersonic weapons travel at more than five times the speed of sound and are extremely difficult to track.
"What we are seeing is a very significant event of a hypersonic weapon system test. And that is very concerning," General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bloomberg television, in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, citing Reuters October 28.
China has denied testing a hypersonic missile, saying it is testing a reusable spacecraft.
Meanwhile, in an interview with CBS News that aired this week, General John Hyten, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, struck a more emphatic tone when discussing hypersonic missile tests.
"This is a very significant ability that has the potential to change things," Hyten said.
Citing CNN, November 18, General Hyten warned that one day China might be able to launch a surprise nuclear strike on the United States.
"They launched a long-range missile. It traveled the world, dropping a hypersonic glide vehicle that was hurtling back towards China, impacting targets in China," he said.
When asked if the missile hit the target, Hyten replied, "Close enough." Hyten, who previously cited the speed at which the Chinese military is developing capabilities is astonishing, warned that one day they could have the capability to launch a surprise nuclear strike on the US.
China has already deployed one medium-range hypersonic weapon, according to Hyten, while the US is still years away from fielding the first.
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To note, the Pentagon warned in a report released earlier this month that China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal and may have 1.000 nuclear warheads by the end of the decade.
The United States currently has 3.750 nuclear warheads in its inventory, according to the latest State Department data, dwarfing the size of Beijing's nuclear stockpile. China denies testing hypersonic weapons.
While China and Russia are developing their own versions of hypersonic missiles, the Pentagon has made developing hypersonic weapons one of its top priorities.
A US hypersonic missile test failed last month, but the Pentagon insists it remains on track to deliver offensive hypersonic weapons in the early 2020s.
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