US Senate Introduces Measure to Upgrade Defense Against Hypersonic Threats

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would accelerate the development of missile defenses against hypersonic threats, US Senator Brian Schatz, who co-authored the bill, said in a press release.

"US Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced S. 2980, the Integrated Missile Defense Act of 2018," the release said on Thursday. "The bill…directs the acceleration of our hypersonic missile defenses and links them to the deployment of space-based sensors."

Schatz explained in the release the legislation will better protect the United States especially the states of Alaska and Hawaii against potential missile threats from North Korea.

The bill also provides the United States with a better opportunity to protect US forces and allies in the region, Schatz said.

The measure also promotes a more integrated missile defense system to protect against evolving threats as highlighted in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the senator said.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his nation had successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile.

US Defense Department researchers responded to Putin’s remarks by announcing that the 2019 defense budget puts the United States on track to test a series of hypersonic prototypes in the coming years.