SecDef Austin Summons Hypersonics CEOs – By Marcus Weisgerber and Patrick Tucker (Defense One) / January 26, 2022
Pentagon meeting set for next week in race to outpace China and Russia.
Updated 9:40 p.m. ET to add a Pentagon statement. An earlier version of the story incorrectly said the meeting would be entirely face-to-face.
Amid several high-profile test failures that have slowed hypersonic weapon development, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has summoned the CEOs of nearly a dozen of America’s largest defense companies for a high-profile meeting next week, Defense One has learned.
The purpose of the Feb. 3 meeting is to stress the urgency in fielding the fast-flying weapons as the U.S. plays catch-up to recent Chinese and Russian advances, according to five people with knowledge of the meeting. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Pentagon has not publicly announced it.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will chair the virtual meeting; Heidi Shyu, a defense undersecretary who oversees all hypersonic weapons development, is also expected to attend.
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