On February 9, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Tate Nurkin wrote in Breaking Defense that in order to succeed in hypersonics, the United States must also tolerate a certain level of failure. In his article, “To catch China and Russia in hypersonic race, US must embrace risk now,” Nurkin advocates for the Department of Defense (DoD) to take a more fast-paced, setback-tolerant approach to hypersonic development.
Achieving DoD’s admittedly ambitious objectives for testing and fielding defenses against hypersonic weapons… mean[s]… not being deterred from achieving long-term success by episodic short-term setbacks.
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
