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The United States spent two decades engaging in counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, inadvertently allowing China and Russia to invest in and develop weapons that facilitate great power competition. This transition in focus leaves the U.S. at a disadvantage, prompting a concerted effort to catch up in this emerging technological arms race.
Recent testing has been conducted within the United States, but the Pentagon opted not to announce these developments at the time, fearing it would exacerbate ongoing tensions with Russia amid the heightened focus on the conflict in Ukraine.