The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia stated Tuesday that they would collaborate on hypersonic missile development under the newly formed security alliance AUKUS.

The decision comes as the US and its allies grow increasingly concerned about China's growing military assertiveness in the Pacific. President Joe Biden of the United States, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the plan following a review of the status of AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific alliance created by the three countries in September.

In a joint statement, the leaders stated that they are "committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defense innovation."

The US, Russia, and China have all sought to advance the development of hypersonic missiles – a technology that travels at speeds faster than any existing missile defense system.

China and Russia's actions provoke alarm in Washington

In October, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley stated that China had completed a test of a hypersonic missile system as part of its aggressive endeavor to enhance space and military technologies.

In a Bloomberg Television interview, Milley called the Chinese test a "very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system, and it is very concerning,"

According to the senior US commander in Europe, Russia has used hypersonic missiles "multiple" times in Ukraine.

Last October, as US intelligence officials expressed growing alarm about Russia's massing of forces on the Ukraine border, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the country's arms industry to build even more advanced hypersonic missiles to maintain the country's technological edge.

Moscow claimed in mid-March that it struck a munitions storage in western Ukraine with a hypersonic missile.

According to the Russian military, its Avangard system can fly 27 times faster than the speed of sound and perform precise maneuvers on its way to a target to avoid an adversary's missile shield. It was installed on existing Soviet-built intercontinental ballistic missiles in place of older-generation warheads, and the first unit equipped with the Avangard began operations in December 2019.

According to Russian officials, the Kinzhal, which is carried by MiG-31 fighter jets, has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (approximately 1,250 miles) and flies at ten times the speed of sound.

Increasing the Pacific's defense capabilities

The Pentagon's budget plan for 2023 already includes $4.7 billion for hypersonic weapons research and development. It calls for the deployment of a hypersonic missile battery next year, a sea-based missile in 2025, and an air-based cruise missile in 2027.

Biden, Johnson, and Morrison have touted the establishment of AUKUS as an opportunity to increase defense capability sharing. As their first significant step, the alliance stated that it would assist Australia in procuring nuclear-powered submarines.

Morrison stated that the development of hypersonic missiles is consistent with Australia's two-year-old strategic strategy to strengthen its military's long-range attack capabilities.

"The paramount goal is to ensure we get that capability as soon as we can and it's in the best form that can be working with our partners," Morrison told reporters.

Australia's Defense Minister Peter Dutton previously revealed intentions to spend $2.6 billion on long-range strike missiles for fighter jets and warships, years ahead of schedule in response to escalating threats from Russia and China.

Concerns over a possible Chinese naval presence 1,200 miles off the northeast Australian coast have been raised in response to a proposed security deal between the Solomon Islands and China. China has denied pursuing a military footprint in the Solomon Islands, and the Solomon Islands government has stated that it will not allow China to create an army facility there.