Military Leaders Discuss Hypersonics, Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
Feb. 21, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News
The nation's top military leaders today discussed challenges to getting hypersonic weapons from blueprint to production during a question-and-answer session at a Washington think tank.
Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said hypersonic weapons — which can travel at five times the speed of sound — are a growing national security threat. To mitigate that threat, the Defense Department will need a low-earth orbit satellite architecture, much wider arrays and the ability to queue targets very quickly, along with a joint command and control system, said McCarthy.
McCarthy, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly, and Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Hypersonic Weapons
McCarthy said hypersonic weapons are of joint interest to each of the military services. He said the secretaries meet regularly to discuss how they can be employed and how they can be financed, and they share information, including test data.
"How they're used and employed by the services will be very different because the means are different," McCarthy said, adding that there should be enough similarities that there will be some cost savings.
https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2090995/military-leaders-discuss-hypersonics-supply-chain-vulnerabilities/
