>we've spent a ton of money on our anti-ICBM missile shield which is now useless. Isn't this how the USA broke the Soviet Union, by developing advanced weapons

>we've spent a ton of money on our anti-ICBM missile shield which is now useless. Isn't this how the USA broke the Soviet Union, by developing advanced weapons that forced the Soviet's to try to compete and bankrupting them? The USA will likely go ahead with the anti-ICBM shield because there are still ICBM's around, but now the USA's hypersonic missile program will also be accelerated (as well as a counter hypersonic missile program?), just as the Senate is haggling over how many trillions to spend on other existential issues. So one prototype hypersonic missile launch by China may cost the USA a lot. Very asymmetric effect. A few more like it and the USA might start to feel the money pinch. Can't say this was intentional, but the timing of it may directly affect the amount of money spent on repairing USA infrastructure and fixing other internal problems given the hawkishness of some politicians, raising social discontent. Maybe another demo of a satellite killer is next? Just speculation on my part, though it seems to make some sense as a strategy. The USA military has a self-professed strategy of always being the best and ahead of everyone else. That costs a lot, and that cost can be a vulnerability.