National security warning issued for Russian nuclear 'satellite killer'

Render of NASA's PACE satellite in orbit

PACE, a NASA satellite, floating high above the Earth

(Image credit: NASA Conceptual Image Laboratory)

published 15 February 2024

What happened?

House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday publicly urged President Joe Biden to "declassify all information" about a "serious national security threat." Officials later said Turner's unusual, cryptic warning referred to Russia's incomplete development of a space-based nuclear weapon to destroy satellites.

Who said what?

Turner is flagging a "serious" but "medium-to-long term" threat, so there's no "cause for panic," said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was "surprised" by Turner's statement, because he's "personally" briefing Turner and the other Gang of Eight lawmakers Thursday.

The commentary

If Russia were to deploy such a "satellite-killing weapon," it would violate the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, The New York Times said. And currently, the U.S. couldn't counter it. This kind of space weaponization from Russia and China is "one of the primary reasons" the U.S. Space Force was established, The Associated Press said. Russia's departure from the Outer Space Treaty could "open the floodgates" to nukes in space, said nuclear expert Steven Andreasen. And countries can use orbital nukes "for more than taking out satellites."

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What next?

Russia is trying to challenge America's "space supremacy," but "the ingenuity of U.S. engineers" seems up to the task, David Ignatius said at The Washington Post. "It's a safe bet that the cycle of punch and counterpunch in space is just beginning."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.