CNN
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Russia is trying to develop a space nuclear weapon that, when detonated, would generate a huge energy wave that would destroy satellites. This could cripple the vast swath of commercial and government satellites that the world below relies on to make cell phone calls, pay bills and surf the web. According to three sources familiar with the U.S. intelligence community regarding the weapon, the information was revealed online.
These sources have given CNN a more detailed understanding of what Russia is working on and the threat it may pose than what the US government has previously disclosed.
Republican Rep. Mike Turner (Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a statement Wednesday in Washington saying the committee “has information regarding a significant national security threat.” caused a commotion. By Friday, President Joe Biden had publicly acknowledged that Turner was referring to Russia's new nuclear anti-satellite capabilities, but officials cited the sensitive nature of the intelligence community. He firmly refuses any further discussion.
Biden administration officials have publicly emphasized that the weapon is still in development and not yet on track. But officials say if used, it would cross a dangerous Rubicon in the history of nuclear weapons and could cause extreme disruption to daily life in ways that are difficult to predict.
This type of new weapon, commonly known as a nuclear EMP by military space experts, generates a pulse of electromagnetic energy and a flood of highly charged particles that rips through space and sends other satellites flying around the Earth. would confuse.
“What Russia is doing right now poses no nuclear threat to the American people or anywhere in the world,” Biden said publicly on Friday.
“Everything they are doing and/or will do is related to satellites and space and could potentially damage those satellites,” he said.
For years, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies have tracked Russia's efforts to develop a wide range of anti-satellite weapons, including EMP.
And one defense official said there had been a series of intelligence reports in recent months, particularly related to Russia's efforts to develop nuclear-powered anti-satellite capabilities.
However, Russia has recently been working towards developing a nuclear EMP. This is a related, but more worrying technique.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that “our general knowledge that Russia is pursuing this type of capability is that it has been in the works for months, if not years. It goes back many years,” he said. “But only in recent weeks have intelligence agencies been able to accurately assess with greater confidence how Russia continues to pursue it.”
Biden said intelligence agencies have “found that we theoretically have the ability to launch systems into space that can do some damage,” but that “it hasn't happened yet.”
“This is not a new concept; it dates back to the late Cold War as a concept,” said one U.S. official. However, they said that “the eventual installation of EMP devices in orbit would raise significant concerns.” [is] “Large portions of a given orbit could be rendered unusable,” creating a minefield of unusable satellites and “dangerous for new satellites seeking to be installed to replace or repair existing satellites.” It will turn out to be.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Council all declined to comment.
The question remains whether a device as designed could affect GPS or nuclear command and control satellites operating in higher orbits than the vast constellations of commercial and government satellites flying in low Earth orbit. It wasn't immediately obvious. These large satellites are designed to be impregnable against nuclear explosions, but a former top Pentagon space official told CNN that depending on how close they are to an EMP, how old they are, and the size of the explosion, “It could be vulnerable,” he said. .
Experts say such weapons could destroy large constellations of small satellites, such as SpaceX's Starlink, which Ukraine is using successfully in its ongoing war with Russia. It states that there is.
This would almost certainly be Russia's “last weapon”, U.S. officials and others said. Because it would do the same damage to Russian satellites in the area.
It is also unclear to what extent this technology has been developed. Russia has experienced a number of public fiascos regarding nuclear technology in recent years. In 2019, seven Russians were killed in a nuclear accident that occurred while the Russian government was trying to recover a nuclear-powered cruise missile that crashed into the White Sea during a failed test.
Still, recent intelligence assessments of Russia's advances have so alarmed some members on Capitol Hill that Turner issued an invitation to all members of Congress to hear more about the matter.
Shortly after, he issued a vague public statement, forcing the issue into the public eye.
People familiar with the matter said the source of the information was so sensitive that the release of the information was extremely damaging. The sources said intelligence agencies are currently looking for ways to maintain access.
Biden administration officials have argued that Russia's deployment of a nuclear EMP would be its first violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in outer space.
“This would be a violation of the Outer Space Treaty, which is signed by more than 130 countries, including Russia,” Kirby said Thursday, without providing further details.
Russia has withdrawn from several arms control treaties in recent years, and the post-Cold War arms control system has been largely watered down.
