Russia's rumored space-based nuclear weapon has US spooked: Here's why
US Congressman Michael Turner recently urged President Joe Biden to reveal details about a potential space-based nuclear weapon. He cited concerns over a "national security threat" linked to a "destabilizing foreign military capability." According to ABC News, Turner's comments likely referred to secret Russian plans to launch a nuclear weapon into space, that could target satellites belonging to other countries.
Concerns over satellite infrastructure
The possibility of a space-based nuclear weapon has US and European lawmakers on edge. This is because it could jeopardize US satellites and disrupt both civilian and military communication networks. Currently, the US has no defense against such a weapon, emphasizing the growing global space arms race, especially in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and China's anti-satellite developments
Russia as well as China have made progress in the development of weapons that can destroy enemy satellites. In 2021, Russia intentionally destroyed one of its own retired satellites using a direct-ascent anti-satellite. China conducted a similar test in 2007. Although the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which Russia signed, prohibits orbital nuclear weapons, Russia has increasingly withdrawn from other Cold War arms control treaties, as noted by the New York Times.
Potential consequences of ending space treaty
Steven Andreasen, a nuclear expert at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, warned that "ending the Space Treaty could open the floodgates for other countries to put nuclear weapons in space as well." He added that "once you have orbital nuclear weapons, you can use them for more than taking out satellites." The Kremlin has dismissed these concerns as a "malicious fabrication."
