Pentagon's Stark Warning: No Defense Against Hypersonic Missiles

Pentagon officials delivered a stark warning to Congress Monday. The United States has no effective defense against hypersonic and cruise missiles from China and Russia. Assistant Secretary of War for Space Policy, Mark Berkowitz told the Senate Armed Services Committee that America's current homeland defense system is very limited, designed only for a small scale rogue attack, not for threats from peer competitors. We have no defense against hypersonic weapons or cruise missiles today, he stated bluntly. Michael Getline, head of the Golden Dome missile defense program within the Space Force, testified that both China and Russia are actively modernizing their arsenals with weapons like hypersonic glide vehicles and Russia's nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile. These systems are built to overwhelm US sensors and interceptors. Military analyst Andre Martyanov notes that Russia's Zircon hypersonic missile has already redefined naval warfare, making even remote sea zones unsafe for US warships. In response, President Trump launched the Golden Dome initiative in January 2025, proposing a massive expansion of ground and space-based defenses. Initial cost estimates have soared from $175 billion to $185 billion over a decade, with some analysts warning the final price could be far higher. Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi ...