President Donald Trump was mocked by many when he established the U.S. Space Force as the newest branch of the military, but now it may be more necessary than ever. China has reportedly tested a superspeed hypersonic missile vehicle, which travels into space and around the Earth before re-entering the atmosphere. "These hypersonic glide vehicles can drop a weapon on a city with very little warning, and that means they change the nature of nuclear deterrence," says Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China. "This means that China one day, and that day will be soon, will be able to nuke an American city with very little warning."
The Biden administration's reaction to the test has been muted and mixed. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "We welcome stiff competition with China." When asked by reporters if he was concerned about the Chinese test, President Biden simply replied, "Yes." Since taking office, Biden has faced criticism for not being tough enough on China.
Chang says the U.S. reaction so far has been inappropriate. "This test indicates that China is intending to violate the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits nuclear weapons in orbit," he tells KTRH. "The appropriate response from the White House should have been to question China's commitment to the treaty."
For its part, China denies the test was related to any missile, claiming it was only a routine test of a space vehicle.
Space Force is a good start, but Chang warns the U.S. needs to do much more to offset the growing nuclear threat from China. "China is about five years ahead of the U.S. in this type of technology, and the U.S. isn't even trying to duplicate what the Chinese are doing," he says. "So you could say they are well ahead of us in being able to deliver nuclear weapons."