(CNN)– Sources told the network CNNThe United States has new intelligence related to Russia’s efforts to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite system in space.
The sources added that Congress and major US allies were briefed on that intelligence, which some representatives described as “serious enough that it must be declassified and made public.”
While this intelligence is “worrying,” several senior members of Congress who were briefed on the information confirmed on Wednesday that the Russian regime “does not pose a direct threat to the United States or its interests.”
According to three American officials familiar with intelligence information, the system is still under development and has not yet been launched into space, and one of these officials said that it is not clear how advanced the technology used to operate it is.
An official told CNN, “The threat is not related to a weapon that can be used to attack humans.”
It was not immediately clear whether the information referred to a nuclear-powered anti-satellite system or provided the capability for nuclear weaponization.
It is noteworthy that the American ABC network was the first to report this intelligence information.
The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Representative Mike Turner from Ohio, issued a “vague” statement in which he announced that the committee had “information related to a serious threat to national security.”
In a letter to lawmakers urging them to see the intelligence in the committee’s secret locations, he said it was about a “destabilizing foreign military capability that all decision-makers in Congress should know about.”
Immediately, lawmakers began descending on the lower floor of the House of Representatives to find out what the intelligence was, but some were disappointed. One Democratic member with deep national security experience said they had never received this kind of urgent subpoena on a security-related matter. Nationalists before during their time in Congress – and that the intelligence they saw was not urgent enough to warrant an alert by Mike Turner.
Within hours, the Republican Speaker of the House, Representative Mike Johnson, attempted to deescalate the complex situation, telling reporters that there was “no reason to be concerned” and noting that he had been aware of the intelligence since at least January.
He added: “We just want to assure everyone that the steady hands are behind the wheel, and we are working on that and there is no need to worry.”
Representative Jim Himes, the committee’s top Democrat, said in a statement, “The classified intelligence that the House Intelligence Committee brought to members’ attention last night is important, but it is not a reason for panic.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday that he was “surprised” that Turner announced the information, noting that he was already scheduled to brief senior Republican and Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives in addition to Turner and Himes on Thursday, and added: “We have identified “There is a date for a briefing session for members of the House of Representatives, so I am a little surprised.”
In his statement, Turner urged the Biden administration to declassify “all information related to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can publicly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.”
Meanwhile, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee indicated, in a joint statement, that they were aware of the intelligence, but it would be difficult to declassify it without revealing its sources and sensitive methods of collecting it.
The uproar over the new intelligence comes as a $60 billion aid package to support Ukraine in its war against Russia has stalled in the House of Representatives, and former President Donald Trump has been publicly supporting GOP members who opposed the package.
In recent days, Trump also said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever it wants” toward NATO allies who are not meeting spending targets set by the alliance on their defense.
Johnson has said he will not bring up the Senate-passed aid bill, but Turner has publicly supported continuing to fund the war effort in Ukraine.
Some U.S. lawmakers and officials have privately speculated that Turner’s efforts to brief lawmakers on intelligence — something the House Intelligence Committee voted on Tuesday night — may be an attempt to shore up flagging support for Ukraine.
The sources declined to provide further details about the Russian intelligence or capabilities reported, but for years, Russia has been working on counterspace systems designed to neutralize US military and commercial space systems, according to a 2022 Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report on space security.
Russian doctrine calls for the ability to target “enemy” satellites, using attacks aimed at temporary disruption and total destruction.
In 2020, Russia tested an anti-satellite space weapon with advanced capabilities that could have a dual purpose: it can assist “friendly” satellites while having the ability to attack “enemy” satellites.
Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, Hans Christensen, said that the anti-satellite weapon “would pose a major threat to American satellites, whether it has nuclear capability or not.”
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2024-02-15 02:04:01
