On March 4th 2024, IWI’s Executive Director Guido Torres was published by CSIS about an article regarding hypersonic technology and rare earth elements. In the evolving landscape of global defense, the arms race has metamorphosed from a contest of nuclear might to one of unparalleled speed. Hypersonic weapons (capable of exceeding five times the speed of sound), promise to revolutionize modern warfare.
China’s strides in the hypersonic field are a manifestation of its broader strategic intentions and underscore its drive toward technological and military preeminence. This journey toward mastering hypersonic technology is not merely for show; it is about redefining the global balance of military power.
A successful deployment of these weapons would enable China to redefine the term “first-strike advantage.” Such a capability is not merely about striking first; it is about striking in a manner that leaves the opponent minimal time or capacity to react, effectively nullifying their defensive postures. This introduces a dangerous paradigm wherein the traditional cushion of time provided by early warning systems is drastically reduced. For the United States, this might mean that even with the world’s most advanced detection systems, the window to act could be so minimal that it might be rendered ineffective. As the United States and China jostle for dominance in this arena, the strategic significance of an elemental material, niobium, emerges as a pivotal concern, and with it, China’s rising dominance in the Western Hemisphere’s mining sector.
Read the article here.
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