China and Russia, two near-equals with the United States, are trying to weaken the U.S. military through cutting-edge military technology innovations, and the United States has been investing heavily in emerging technologies in recent years to counter them, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday.
China and Russia are using long-range precision missiles, anti-access and area denial weapons (A2AD) and other asymmetric warfare capabilities to counter U.S. forces, Esper said the same day at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting.
He added that China and Russia are also weaponizing the once-peaceful cosmic space, including launching interceptor satellites and developing energy weapons, all of which are aimed at undermining the U.S. military’s lead.
Esper said the U.S. has placed great emphasis in recent years on investing in emerging technologies, especially hypersonic weapons. In March, the U.S. Army and Navy jointly conducted a test firing of a hypersonic glider, and the U.S. military plans to formally integrate the technology by 2023.
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