Hyperventilating Over Hypersonics

Last summer, China tested a hypersonic missile that traveled through orbit. The test shocked many observers and led to widespread concern about the potential for nuclear-armed missiles that can evade detection and defense systems. The technology is not as new as it might seem, but this latest test highlights an underlying threat that the world has been living with for decades.

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Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Podcast Host and Producer
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Episode Guests
  • Adam Mount
    Senior Fellow and Director, Federation of American Scientists
  • Laura Grego
    Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Show Notes

Last summer, U.S. intelligence services reported that China tested a new hypersonic missile. These missiles are maneuverable, nuclear-capable, and use what is known as a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS). U.S. officials are increasingly wary of an emerging arms race as Russia and China expand their missile and nuclear capabilities. These advancements complicate deterrence logic and could sway military policy. With a hefty price to compete in this arena, experts debate the merits of the United States emulating its adversaries.

 

From CFR 

 

Michael C. Horowitz and Lauren A. Kahn, “DoD’s 2021 China Military Power Report: How Advances in AI and Emerging Technologies Will Shape China’s Military

 

From Laura Grego 

 

Rush Hour In Orbit: The Science (and Politics) of Keeping Satellites Safe,” Got Science?, Union of Concerned Scientists

 

Some pretty good work by Congress on missile defense this year,” All Things Nuclear, Union of Concerned Scientists

 

A nuclear arms race is unavoidable without serious intervention,” Financial Times

 

From Adam Mount

 

What Is the Sole Purpose of U.S. Nuclear Weapons?, Federation of American Scientists 

 

Adam Mount and Pranay Vaddi, An Integrated Approach to Deterrence Posture [PDF],  Federation of American Scientists

 

Read More

 

De-hyping China’s Missile Test,” All Things Nuclear, Union of Concerned Scientists

 

China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile,” Financial Times

 

China’s Orbital Bombardment System Is Big, Bad News—but Not a Breakthrough,” Foreign Policy

 

Russia Goes Hypersonic,” Situation Report, Foreign Policy

 

Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable. And They’re Starting a New Global Arms Race.,” New York Times 

 

Behind murky claim of a new hypersonic missile test, there lies a very real arms race,” NPR

 

Visual explainer: How China’s hypersonic missile compares to conventional ballistic weapons,” USA Today

 

Watch and Listen

 

Hypersonic Missiles Arms Race: What You Need to Know,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

 

Center for Preventive Action

The world is entering a new era of great-power competition. As U.S. policymakers look ahead, it pays to know what global threats to anticipate. Every January, the Council on Foreign Relations publishes a survey that analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the twelve months ahead and rates their potential impact on the United States. But can the country prepare itself for mass immigration, cyberwarfare, and nuclear tensions while still cooperating with adversaries on global issues such as climate change?

Global Governance

In 2022, several colossal events dominated the headlines, most prominently the war in Ukraine and the worldwide inflation that it helped spark. But beyond Ukraine, events with global implications continued to unfold. In this episode, Why It Matters checks in with three CFR fellows and CFR President Richard Haass to understand the least-covered stories of 2022 and to take a peek at what could await the world in 2023.

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For years, the world thought of the internet as a borderless zone that brought people from around the world together. But as governments pursue very different regulatory paths, the monolithic internet is breaking apart. Now, where there had been one, there are at least three internets: one led by the United States, one by China, and one by the European Union.

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