The United States is increasingly worried about Russia‘s plan to operate a nuclear weapon in low Earth orbit, according to U.S. Space Command chief Stephen Whiting.
The Space Force general warned the move by the Kremlin could interfere with civilian aircraft and satellites, thereby causing global chaos.
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“Russia remains a sophisticated space power, and they continue to invest in counter-space weapons,” Whiting told the Times, a British newspaper. “They are thinking about placing in orbit a nuclear anti-satellite weapon that would hold at risk everyone’s satellites in low Earth orbit, and that would be an outcome that we just couldn’t tolerate.”
If it proceeds with the reported plan, Russia would be in violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The document formed the basis of international space law, preventing nations from placing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or elsewhere in outer space. It was signed by the U.S., United Kingdom, and Soviet Union during the space race at the time.
NASA is currently engaged in a new space race to the moon, which was demonstrated by the recent Artemis II lunar-orbiting mission. China is the main opponent in this race, but Russia still poses a major space threat, according to Whiting’s comments.
The four-star general made the case that Russia feels threatened by the U.S. and NATO, which is why the foreign adversary allegedly wants to expand its nuclear footprint in space.
“From a Russian perspective, they look at the United States, they look at NATO and they see an overmatch there of conventional arms,” he said. “And they believe that novel ways of trying to undermine the United States and NATO, such as by neutralizing our space capabilities, helps them to level the battlefield.”
Whiting declined to disclose the U.S. military’s “intelligence sources and methods” about Russia’s plan, but he noted the space service branch is “very concerned” about the report.
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Detonating a nuclear missile in low Earth orbit would have a devastating affect on thousands of civilian satellites orbiting the planet. Satellite communications would be dealt a massive blow, putting GPS-reliant aircraft in harm’s way.
Whiting called on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the possible looming threat that Russia and China each pose by increasing Britain’s space defense budget. The British military spends less than 1% of its defense funds on space, whereas the U.S. allocates about 4% of its budget on space.
