"The aircraft carrier continues to be relevant," Spenser told a hearing of the US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on funding for the US Navy and Marine Corps in the fiscal year 2019. "We've got confidence that carrier delivers decisive capabilities in some of those high-end conflicts."
Spenser at no point tried to deny Russian President Vladimir Putin's unveiling of revolutionary new Russian weapon hypersonic and other weapons and acknowledged the reality of hypersonic breakthroughs.
"There's a technological race going in terms of hypersonics… It reduces transit times from hours to minutes. In the United States, there's a recent renaissance in getting to terms with this… [We] will be generating defense and responses to that… This gets to classified levels very quickly," Spencer said.
READ MORE: 'The First Stage is Always Anger' — Expert Details Reaction to Putin's Speech
Spenser's comment referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual state of the nation address made on March 1, during which he unveiled Russia’s success in producing hypersonic weapons that could d rapidly destroy US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and their battle groups as a deterrent.
READ MORE: White House Reveals Concerns of European Leaders Over Russian Advanced Weapons
However, the Russian president has emphasized that the country wasn't threatening any other state and that any potential use of nuclear or any other weapon would take place only as a response measure. Explaining his stance, Putin stated that Russia, unlike the US, has never used nuclear weapons against other countries.
READ MORE: Putin: Russia May Use Nukes Only as a Response Strike
