- By Bernd Debusmann Jr
- BBC News, Washington
Russia is developing a “troubling” new anti-satellite weapon, the US has said, but it emphasised that Moscow has yet to deploy it.
White House spokesperson John Kirby made the comments a day after a senior House Republican issued vague warnings of a “serious national security threat”.
The weapon is space-based and armed with a nuclear weapon to target satellites, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reported.
But Mr Kirby did not confirm this and refused to offer precise details on the threat on Thursday.
Moscow accused the US of using claims of new Russian weapons as a ruse to force Congress to pass additional Ukraine aid by “hook or by crook”.
Mr Kirby, who was recently made a top aide to President Joe Biden, told reporters that there is no immediate threat to the US public.
“We’re not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings. or cause physical destruction, here on Earth,” he said.
President Biden was briefed on the intelligence, Mr Kirby said, and that his administration was taking the development of the weapon “very seriously”. He added that the president had already ordered “direct diplomatic engagement with Russia” over the threat.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner issued a cryptic warning about a serious national security threat on Wednesday, sparking a flurry of rumours around the capital.
On Thursday, Mr Turner and others from the committee met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss the matter further.
“We all came away with a very strong impression that the administration is taking this very seriously and that the administration has a plan in place,” Mr Turner said following the meeting. “We look forward to supporting them as they go to implement it.”
While space weapons sound ripped from the pages of science fiction novels or films such as Superman II and James Bond’s GoldenEye, military experts have long warned that space is likely to be the next frontier of warfare in an increasingly technology-dependent world.
What do we know about the threat?
Other than Mr Kirby’s comments, US government officials have yet to publicly reveal any specific details about the threat.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan suggested the silence is intentional, telling reporters on Wednesday that the US must prioritise the “sources and methods” its security agencies used to collect intelligence about the threat.
The New York Times, ABC and CBS reported that the threat was related to Russia developing a nuclear-capable weapon that could be used to strike US satellites in space.
Mr Kirby told reporters that there is no evidence that the weapon has been deployed, but emphasised that the US is taking the threat “very seriously”.
For years, US officials and aerospace experts have warned that Russia and China have been steadily developing military capabilities in space as they seek to catch up to the US.
A report released by the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies last year suggested that Russia is developing a range of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, including a missile that was successfully tested against a defunct Soviet-era satellite in November 2021.
One of the report’s authors, former top Pentagon intelligence official Kari Bingen, told the BBC that during its war in Ukraine, Russia has already used a variety of other methods – such as cyber attacks and jamming – to hamper satellite communications.
“That is already a part of their warfighting doctrine,” she said.
Should the public be worried?
Senior lawmakers – including House Speaker Mike Johnson – have said that there is no need for public alarm.
Mike Turner has also come under some criticism for announcing the threat, with fellow Republican Andy Ogles accusing him of a “reckless disregard” for the “well-being and psyche of the…
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