China’s Hypersonic Missile Test Is Close to ‘Sputnik Moment,’ U.S. Military Chief Says

WASHINGTON—The top U.S. military official described China’s recent test of a hypersonic missile as a near “Sputnik moment” and said that the Pentagon was focused on the development.

“What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system, and it is very concerning,” Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. “I don’t know if it’s quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it’s very close to that. It has all of our attention.”