Russia space weapon ‘could cripple Britain’
RUSSIA’S “Star Wars” weapon could “cripple” the UK’S systems, according to MPS urging the Defence Secretary to set out a strategy to counter it.
Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chairman of the Commons defence committee, said that allowing Russia to develop weapons in space could leave the crucial GPS system open to attack. He added: “Every aspect of our lives is reliant on GPS: payment systems, agriculture, machinery, modern industries and defence. The loss of GPS would cripple navigation”.
Britain and America have accused Russia of launching a projectile “with the characteristics of a weapon” which could threaten western satellites.
Mr Ellwood will write to Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, asking him to “recognise this development must be front and centre” of the Government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. He also wants the findings delivered faster.
Last week, Mr Wallace said Russian and Chinese efforts to develop space weapons were a “major concern” for satellites.
Bob Seely, a Tory member of the foreign affairs committee, said: “Everything nowadays, including defence, runs on communications systems. So much of that goes through satellites. If people can destroy your satellites, then you’re back in the Middle Ages.”
He called for a “significant strategic readjustment” in the UK’S approach to Russia and China.
The defence committee will raise Russia’s actions in space with Alex Ellis, the deputy national security adviser, at a hearing on Tuesday.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military analyst, said Russia was stepping up a wide range of “war preparations” “all over the field”.
On the space missile claims, he said: “Russia is not making a secret of it [that it has these capabilities]. It’s not a revelation, it’s a fact.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said: “We regard this latest anti-russian attack as part of a targeted information campaign initiated by Washington to discredit our peaceful initiatives to prevent an arms race in outer space.”
Moscow accused the US and Britain of trying to “present a distorted reading of the situation” to deflect international attention from their own efforts to deploy space weapons.
Meanwhile, Labour is putting further pressure on Ofcom to review the licence of RT, the Russian news agency, after last week’s Russia report by the Commons intelligence and security committee said there was evidence of “serious distortions” in its coverage.
Jo Stevens, the shadow culture secretary, wrote to the media regulator highlighting a court ruling which said RT’S reporting had caused “harm”.
RT suggested Labour was putting “political pressure” on Ofcom.