The United States must boost its production of hypersonic weapons if it is to adequately counter and deter the capabilities being developed by China, according to a senior Pentagon official. “I would say that everything we’re doing in terms of the interceptors, the strike weapons, isn’t going to make a difference unless we have sufficient quantities,” said Gillian Bussey, director of the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office at the Department of Defense. “So having a dozen hypersonic missiles, regardless of whether they’re really hypersonic [or not] isn’t going to scare anyone.” Hypersonic weapons, unlike conventional missiles, are maneuverable, and thus can evade traditional U.S. weapons detection systems. Bussey made the comments at a recent event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a defense-focused think tank, which explored the United States’ response to hypersonic threats posed by China and Russia. CCP Seized Hypersonic Initiative No nation is developing …