The United States has fresh intelligence on Russian military capabilities pertaining to its ambitions to place a nuclear anti-satellite system in orbit, according to various sources familiar with the information.

Congress and significant United States allies were told on the material, and some politicians believe it is severe enough to be declassified and made public. Even if the intelligence is alarming, several influential Congressmen who were briefed on the matter on Wednesday stressed that the US and its interests are not in immediate danger.

Three US officials who are aware of the intelligence say that the system is still being developed and is not yet in orbit. How far technology has advanced is unclear, according to one of the authorities. Media was informed by a different United States official that the threat does not include a weapon that could be used to attack people.

Whether the intelligence alluded to a nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered anti-satellite capability was not immediately apparent.

Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, stated that an anti-satellite weapon put into orbit around Earth would pose a serious threat to United States nuclear command and control satellites, even though members of Congress dismissed the urgency of the situation. He referred to these satellites as “essential” because the United States depends on them to maintain steady, uninterrupted supervision over its nuclear weapons.

Although other nations have conducted anti-satellite missile tests in the past, this would be a step forward, according to Kristensen, and the United States has stated that it would respond to an attack on its nuclear control and command satellites “very strongly.”

Either nuclear or not, if it’s orbital, there’s a new level of hazard [to the system], according to Kristensen, who also noted that conventional weapons on an orbital anti-satellite system might be a serious threat to the United States.

The intelligence linked to a Russian space-based nuclear capability was first reported by ABC News.

Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, started a tempest on Capitol Hill on the previous Wednesday when he revealed in a cryptic statement that the panel had “information regarding a serious national security risk.”

He added that the intelligence was linked to a foreign military capacity that may destabilize the situation and that all congressional policymakers should be aware of it in a letter requesting members to view the information in the committee’s confidential locations.

Lawmakers immediately started stomping down to the House basement to find out what information was available.

A few were not impressed. A Democratic member with extensive experience in national security claimed that they had never before received such a pressing call regarding a national security issue while serving in Congress and that the information they were presented with upon arrival was insufficiently urgent to warrant Turner’s alarmist claims.

United States House Speaker Statement

Within hours, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican, made an effort to defuse the crisis by telling reporters that “there is no cause for alarm” and claiming to have been aware of the intelligence since at least January.

All we want to be sure of is that safe hands are behind the wheel. Johnson stated, “There’s no need for alarm; we’re working on it.”

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jim Himes, stated in a statement that while the secret information product that the House information Committee brought to Members’ attention last night is significant, there is no need for concern.

The national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, expressed his surprise on Wednesday that Turner had revealed the intelligence’s existence to the public. He said that Sullivan had previously planned to brief Himes, Turner, and the top Republican and Democratic House leaders on Thursday.

Sullivan stated that a briefing for the Gang of Eight members of the House is planned for tomorrow. That has been recorded. Therefore, I was taken aback when Congressman Turner made his public debut today ahead of our scheduled meeting on the books, where I will be sitting alongside our defense and intelligence officials tomorrow.

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