Commentary General Mark Milley considered China’s alleged hypersonic weapon test comparable to the “Sputnik moment,” a pivotal event during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. His remark signals an escalation in military competition between the two countries, and the potential existence of a China–U.S. cold war. Will the United States respond to this strategic national security crisis at a new level? China Develops Hypersonic Missiles On Oct. 27, Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bloomberg that the Chinese military had recently conducted a test of a hypersonic weapon system into space. Milley said that it is a “very significant technological event,” very close to the “Sputnik moment,” and “has all our attention.” On Oct. 17, The Financial Times reported that the Chinese military launched a rocket that carried a hypersonic glide vehicle, which flew through low-orbit space before cruising down toward its target, according to anonymous …