A hearing on the Biden administration’s proposed defense budget turned rancorous on April 5, with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin verbally sparring over the state of America’s hypersonic weapons capabilities. Gaetz said that the hypersonic capabilities of the U.S. military had fallen behind those of the Chinese military, and cited Chinese advancements in hypersonic weapons technologies such as its test of an orbital bombardment system last July. Austin rebuffed the comments and questioned the idea that the U.S. military was falling behind China’s. “What do you mean we’re behind in hypersonics?” Austin asked. “How do you make that assessment?” “Your own people brief us that we’re behind and China is winning,” Gaetz said. “Are you aware of the briefings we get on hypersonics?” “I am certainly aware of the briefings that we provide to Congress,” Austin responded. The state of U.S. hypersonic capabilities is currently …