How would it affect the US if Russia launched a nuclear weapon into space?
The US has acquired new intelligence regarding Russian nuclear capabilities related to the country’s attempts to create a space-based weapon.
The US has briefed Congress and the country’s allies on new intelligence regarding Russia’s nuclear capabilities in space.
According to a source quoted by Reuters, the new capabilities are related to the country’s attempts to create a weapon that could be used in space, and could pose a threat to international security.
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How would it affect the US if Russia launched a nuclear weapon into space?
The New York Times, citing unnamed officials, reported that the space-based nuclear weapon could be a danger to the satellite network of the US. If such a weapon were deployed, it could disrupt civilian communications, as well as surveillance and military operations of the United States and it allies.
The source added that the US currently has no system in place to defend its satellites against such an attack.
However, the newspaper’s source added that this was not an immediate danger to the United States, as there is no indication that Russia will send the weapon into orbit anytime soon.
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Rep. Mike Turner sounds the alarm on Russian space weapon
The new information became a cause for concern after Republican Rep. Mike Turner, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, released a statement saying the panel had come across some intelligence about “a serious national security threat.”
Turner called on President Joe Biden “to declassify all information relating to this threat” to open discussions on an appropriate response.
After Turner’s cryptic statements and the subsequent briefing on the issue, legislators sought to allay fears regarding the intelligence.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said there was no cause for alarm, and that they are already working on the information. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat in the House Intelligence Committee, said the classified information was significant, but not a cause for panic.