On Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense Program will publicly launch the final report of the Hypersonic Capabilities Task Force.

Any future large-scale conflict will take place in a highly contested environment where US capability will be aggressively challenged in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The US military must have the ability to rapidly deliver lethal effects at range in a timescale of relevance. To close the growing capability gap between the United States and its adversaries in China and Russia, the Pentagon and Congress must prioritize the accelerated fielding of these capabilities.

This report presents the hypersonic imperative, offering recommendations for the Pentagon and Congress to adopt or pursue to maintain the US military’s ability to dominate the battlefield against an increasingly capable set of adversaries.

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