Commentary Communist China’s apparent test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile is highly disturbing. But perhaps even more disturbing is what the episode has revealed about how unserious and ill-equipped America appears to be in the face of a regime that is relentlessly pursuing hegemony. As the House Armed Services Committee reported last year, hypersonic weapons could help adversaries—led by our greatest adversary, communist China—“defeat missile defense systems and strike targets from significant stand-off distances.” Such a capability as recently displayed could “potentially allow China to execute a nuclear strike on any target on earth with near-impunity and very little warning,” as another report summarizes it. Others in these pages have compellingly argued this may well constitute a “Sputnik moment.” Legacy media outlets have been invoking the Cold War too. Indeed, Beijing has been engaged in a massive military buildup stirring the worst fears of the 20th century. According to a 2020 …