Russia will put nuclear weapon into space, US fears
Biden urged to declassify intelligence showing ‘serious national security threat’
RUSSIA wants to put a nuclear weapon into space, US intelligence indicates, in what was described as a “serious national security threat”.
Joe Biden was last night urged to declassify US intelligence on the military operation, which has been shared with every member of the US Congress.
The weapons system could be used to target Western satellites in space, potentially knocking out communications and military targeting systems.
The US president is understood to have been tracking the threat, described as “grave” but not “immediate”, for some weeks, according to White House sources.
Last night, US officials told The New York Times the nuclear capability had not been launched and was still in development.
Mike Turner, the Republican head of the House intelligence committee, revealed the existence of the information in a statement calling on Mr Biden to share it with the public.
Sources told ABC News that the intelligence was in relation to Moscow seeking to put a nuclear weapon in space. The weapon would not be used against ground-based targets, the sources said, but described the intelligence as “very concerning and very sensitive”.
It comes amid growing fears that Russia’s war in Ukraine has escalated the potential for a clash between Moscow and Nato. White House officials yesterday said they assessed the threat to be “serious” but they believed there were ways to “contain” it.
Dr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told The Telegraph: “If, indeed, Russia has, in fact, deployed, nuclear weapons in orbit, that would be a deliberate and direct violation of the 1967 outer space treaty by Moscow. The outer space treaty is a cornerstone of space stability, and this would be a grave setback.”
Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, is due to brief the socalled “Gang of Eight”, the top leaders in Congress, on the intelligence today.
Mr Sullivan said he had taken the “highly unusual” step of offering himself up along with the country’s top “intelligence and defence professionals”. Asked if the public should be worried, he said: “That question is impossible to answer with a straight yes. Americans understand that there are a range of threats and challenges in the world that we’re dealing with every single day.”
Mr Sullivan’s remarks came after senior figures in Congress who have been granted access to the intelligence voiced alarm. Mr Turner said the urgent matter was in “regard to a destabilising foreign military capability”. He took the rare step of making the information available to every member of Congress.
“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary,” he said.
Senior figures in Congress called for America’s allies to be alerted to the threat. Downing Street had not commented on the reports last night.
Separately last night, Vladimir Putin said he would like to see Mr Biden win re-election in November. The Russian president described Mr Biden as more “predictable” than Donald Trump. “He’s an old school politician,” he said.