Russia is pursuing an anti-satellite capability that is concerning to U.S. officials, though the threat is not imminent, nor does the capability itself pose a threat to U.S. civilians.

The United States’s awareness of Russia’s pursuit of this capability “goes back many, many months, if not a few years,” according to National Security Council coordinator John Kirby, though the intelligence community has gained a “higher sense of confidence exactly how Russia continues to pursue” this capability in “recent weeks.”