Pentagon Holding Back on Hypersonic Weapons’ Risks, GAO Says
- GAO discloses projected $40 billion in costs for two systems
- Pentagon is faulted for not giving Congress more information
The US has spent about $12 billion since 2018 on hypersonic weapons development.
Photographer: Tom Brenner/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Pentagon isn’t giving Congress and the public a full assessment of its difficulties and challenges developing hypersonic weapons to counter those already deployed by China and Russia, according to congressional auditors.
Despite test failures with Air Force and Army systems that were supposed to become operational already, the Pentagon “is not comprehensively communicating and reporting to Congress its progress on managing risks,” the Government Accountability Office said in an audit released Monday. “Reporting comprehensive information would enable Congress to better understand and oversee” the programs.