The White House has put an end to the mystery sown by the chairman of the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Turner, who sent a letter to all congressmen on Wednesday warning of the existence of a “serious threat to the national security” of the United States. It is a “Russian anti-satellite weapon system”, explained spokesman John Kirby, without stating that it was any nuclear weapon, as US media claim.
In view of the commotion created, Kirby called for calm, and assured that the system “is not active” and that “does not pose any immediate threat to the safety of anyone”. Although he described the Russian development as “worrying”, “we are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack humans or cause physical destruction on the planet”. The White House rules out for now declassifying intelligence information on the issue, as Congressman Turner asked President Joe Biden.
The anti-satellite system would aim to destroy US civilian, spy and military communications satellites. Thus, it recalls the cold war episode of the so-called war of the galaxies, which arose as a result of Ronald Reagan’s proposal in 1983 to create an anti-missile defense system with space weapons to protect the country from a nuclear attack.
The bulk of the information will remain classified, according to Kirby, who expressed “serious doubts” about making its contents public. For months, the Administration has been attentive to “Russian plans” to develop the new weaponry, he explained, and had informed members of the Intelligence Committee in Congress.
The anti-satellite system poses a threat because, for now, “the US does not have the ability to counter a weapon of this kind”, a former official explained to The New York Times. Coinciding with Turner’s announcement to congressmen, the Pentagon on Wednesday launched a missile tracking system in space — a sign of the growing weight of space in the military strategies of major powers.
Systems designed to disable enemy satellites are nothing new, but the nature of the Russian-designed weapon is, Turner explained in the letter. The USA and Russia, as well as India and China, have developed this type of weaponry in the past. The Asian giant, for example, destroyed in 2007 an old climate satellite of its own, called FY-1 C and launched into space three decades earlier.
Communications and spy satellites are gaining importance in recent years, especially since the war in Ukraine, in which the Starlink satellites, designed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, have provided communications and for planning the Ukrainian army, its hospitals, and humanitarian aid organizations. Using similar technology, the US military is launching a series of low-cost small satellites into orbit, capable of being launched weekly.
The aim is precisely to avoid anti-satellite attacks: even if any foreign power could shoot down some of its satellites, the system could continue to function. The United States Administration is clear that a potential war with Russia or China would begin with the attempt to disable telecommunications, as well as geolocation and espionage systems. At the moment, little is known about the new Russian advance, which has been described as “serious”, “worrying” and “a serious threat to national security” in statements by members of the Executive and the legislature.
