On September 9, 2026, Kari Bingen, Tom Karako, and Heather Williams discussed the state of U.S. and Chinese space launch capacity following President Trump's National Space Transportation Policy memorandum and China's recent booster recovery milestones.
On October 12, CSIS and AUSA hosted our second Strategic Landpower Dialogue event, featuring General Charles Flynn, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific. The discussion explored challenges in the Indo-Pacific, the Army's role in the region, and General Flynn's vision for landpower in the joint force.
On July 14, the CSIS Missile Defense Project hosted a full-day conference on U.S. homeland cruise missile defense.
On April 9, China delivered multiple FK-3 surface-air-to-air missile systems to the Serbian military. The FK-3 is an export version of the Chinese HQ-22 missile system. Like the HQ-22, the FK-3 reportedly has a top speed of Mach 6, though it has a lower maximum range than the HQ-22. Typical FK-3 and HQ-22 systems contain...
Chinese investment in hypersonic weapons highlights the need to reconceptualize the United States’ approach to air and missile defense. This means investing in space-based sensors and the various ways we can disrupt Chinese attack plans, both offensively and defensively.
In July and August, China tested two hypersonic weapons, according to “people familiar with US intelligence assessments.” The first weapon, tested July 27, incorporated a fractional orbital bombardment system-like launch vehicle, which partly orbited the Earth before releasing a hypersonic weapon that reentered the atmosphere. Officials stated the weapon “missed its target by about two-dozen...
On February 4, China successfully tested an unspecified land-based midcourse missile defense system. In a February 5 statement, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the nighttime test occurred within China’s borders and “achieved the desired test objective.” According to Chinese state media, the flight marked the fourth publicly announced test of a midcourse ballistic...
On August 26, China test fired multiple ballistic missiles, which landed at a site near Hainan and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. According to Chinese reports, Chinese forces launched one DF-26B from Qinghai in the country’s northwest and one DF-21D ballistic missile from the eastern province of Zhejiang. U.S. intelligence sources later...
China recently test fired two DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, according to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) footage released on August 3. In a subsequent August 6 report, state media reported the launches were part of a “cross-regional confrontational exercise” to verify missile camouflage, maneuvering, and launch under operational conditions. The exercises are expected to continue over...
In late June, India’s armed forces deployed the Akash quick-reaction surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to eastern Ladakh in Kashmir amid tensions with China. The system was deployed “to prevent any misadventure by the Chinese Air Force fighter jets or the People’s Liberation Army choppers there,” Indian government officials told local media. The Akash is a...
