This pool photograph distributed by Russian state-owned agency Sputnik shows Russia’s President Vladimir Putin talking with young scientists during a visit to the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia in Korolyov, outside Moscow, on October 26, 2023.
GRIGORY SYSOYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
US lawmakers were given intel on a new nuclear space weapon Russia is building, multiple outlets reported.An urgent statement by Rep. Mike Turner about the intel drew high interest in Capitol HIll, CNN reported.But some later felt underwhelmed by the news, per CNN, while others said there’s no cause for panic.
US leaders in Congress were briefed on Wednesday about new intelligence that Moscow is making progress on a nuclear weapon in space that can attack satellites, multiple media outlets reported.
The weapon wouldn’t involve launching a nuclear warhead toward the Earth from space but likely is intended to disable communications networks in orbit, ABC News first reported, citing two unnamed sources.
The New York Times and CNN also reported on the intelligence, citing unnamed officials briefed on the matter.
One source told ABC that the new development is a “big deal” and “very concerning and sensitive.”
Attention was heaped on the briefing after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner released a statement telling lawmakers to gather and hear information on a “serious national security threat.”
“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,” Turner’s statement said.
CNN described House representatives “tramping down to the House basement to learn what the intelligence was.”
But several of them were “underwhelmed” after receiving the information, the outlet reported.
The Times reported that the intelligence indicated Russia is not close to deploying the weapon, and that it was not deemed an urgent threat. But the US also doesn’t have the capabilities to counter such a weapon, an unnamed former official told the outlet.
Meanwhile, unnamed officials told CNN that the weapon is not in orbit and that it’s unclear how far Russia has progressed in development.
No cause for panic, lawmakers say
Amid the clamor, House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to allay public concerns about the briefing.
“I saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue, and I want to assure the American people, there is no need for public alarm,” Johnson told reporters at Capitol Hill. “We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified.”
Johnson added that “steady hands are at the wheel,” and lawmakers were “working on it.”
While the representative indicated he knew beforehand about the intelligence — saying he asked last month to meet with President Joe Biden about a “serious national security that is classified” — he did not mention any nuclear weapon.
A meeting on the security issue is scheduled for Thursday, Johnson added.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, a Democratic lawmaker on the intelligence committee, also urged calm, per The Hill.
Himes added that the security threat was “a serious issue that Mike is right to focus on” but that “it’s not going to ruin your Thursday.”
In a regular press briefing on Wednesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan declined to share details about the “national security threat” but acknowledged that Biden officials are meeting to discuss it with lawmakers.
That meeting was set before Turner made his urgent statement, Sullivan added.
“So, I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly today in advance of a meeting on the books for me to go sit with him alongside our intelligence and defense professionals tomorrow.,” Sullivan said. “That’s his choice to do that.”
When pressed by reporters on the security threat, Sullivan said he personally reached out to the Gang of Eight to set up the meeting and that it was “highly unusual” for a national security advisor to do so.
In April 2023, a report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies highlighted that Russia is likely developing weapons that can temporarily or permanently turn off satellites.
Moscow has not deployed these in its war on Ukraine, which has largely been relying on Starlink satellites, the report said.
It’s not immediately clear if the Russian space weapon in question is nuclear-powered or uses nuclear arms.
The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which Russia still participates in, bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction in outer space. However, Moscow has been pulling out of other nuclear weapon treaties in recent years, raising fears that the world could enter another Cold War-like environment.