Milley: China's reported hypersonic test 'very concerning' and close to a 'Sputnik moment'

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  Mark Milley says that China’s suspected test of a hypersonic weapon is “very concerning” and likened it to the “Sputnik moment” that occurred as Russia and the United States were competing in the space race in the late 1950s.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Milley’s comment in a White House briefing Wednesday saying, "I think what he was conveying was the concern we all have about China's military modernization efforts. They continue to pursue capabilities that increase tensions in the region, and we continue to have concerns about that." 

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the first Pentagon official to confirm on the record the nature of a test this year by the Chinese military that the Financial Times had reported was a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon that was launched into space and orbited the Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and gliding toward its target in China.