US alarm over Russian ‘space weapons’
Washington fears Moscow is developing space weapons after Putin’s boast about mobile laser system
The United States has challenged Russia about a satellite orbiting the Earth exhibiting “abnormal behaviour”, raising questions about Moscow’s intentions to develop space weapons. A US official said the satellite was acting suspiciously, describing its recent launch as “a very troubling development” that appears to justify Donald Trump’s new Space Force branch of the armed forces. On March 1, Vladimir Putin announced that his country’s Space Troops had received a mobile laser system.
THE United States fears Russia has developed space weaponry after raising the alarm over the abnormal behaviour” of a Russian satellite. A US official said the satellite was acting suspiciously, describing its launch as “a very troubling development” that appears to justify Donald Trump’s new Space Force branch of the armed forces.
“Its behaviour on orbit was inconsistent with anything seen before,” Yleem Poblete, the assistant secretary at the state department’s bureau of arms control, verification and compliance, told a UN disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday.
“We are concerned with what appears to be very abnormal behaviour.” Russia dismissed her comments as “unfounded, slanderous accusations based on suspicions”.
Dr Poblete said that the satellite, launched in October 2017, was of particular concern given Russia’s repeated public statements about wishing to develop space weapons.
On March 1, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, announced that his country’s Space Troops had received a mobile laser system, and Dr Poblete noted that Mr Putin had himself alluded to space weapons being more “acceptable in the political and military respect”. She said Russia’s proposals for a treaty described by Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, as securing the “prevention of an arms race in outer space”, were not to be taken seriously.
However, Russia, with the support of China, has drafted what is known as the PPWT – a “Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects”.
Dr Poblete raised concerns about the treaty, describing it as “a flawed document, proposed by a country that has routinely violated its international commitments”. The row about the mystery satellite came after Mr Trump last week unveiled his much-vaunted Space Force, a new “sixth branch” of the US armed forces, which is due to be ready by 2020.
China, which is backing the Russian treaty, has also been active in the development of space capabilities, since President Xi Jinping said in June 2013, at the launch of the Shenzhou X manned mission, that China would take bigger steps in space exploration in pursuit of its “space dream”.
A report for the US and China Economic and Security Review Commission highlighted how the Chinese military was seeking to develop the ability to attack US systems in space.
♦ The US yesterday imposed sanctions on three foreign companies who it accused of helping North Korea with the illicit shipments of goods to fund its nuclear programme.
The treasury department said it was taking action against the firms in China, Russia and Singapore, as well as the head of the Russian firm. The move freezes any assets they have in US jurisdictions and bans Americans from doing business with them.