(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden said Friday there is no immediate threat to Americans after the White House previously expressed concerns over Russia developing an anti-satellite nuclear weapon.
Biden said anything the Russians may be doing relates only to satellites and that there is currently no evidence to suggest Russia has made plans to “do anything in space, either.”
Despite Biden’s hope the Russians do not move forward with plans, a retired Marine intelligence officer told “NewsNation Now” on Friday there is still reason for concern. NBC News reported this week that the Russian spaced-based nuclear weapon is not yet operational.
Hal Kempfer, the retired officer, said the Russians have had nuclear-powered satellites for electronic warfare since the 1980s. However, he believes the Russians could be working on something “highly classified” that is designed to do “mass damage” to U.S. satellites and could be “incredibly disrupting.”
The weapons could, Kempfer said, spur a nuclear explosion in space that could knock out U.S. satellites used for communications, intelligence-gathering, GPS capabilities and other needed services. He said when the country’s reliance on satellites is coupled with vulnerabilities with underwater fiber optic cables, the possibility exists of a “very devastating attack” that could shut down worldwide communications.
“I think that’s what they’re mostly concerned about,” Kempfer said.
Although Kempfer said there is not likely a threat that space-based weapons could do physical damage on the ground, what’s in play is an event in space. But he also warns that just because the Russians haven’t launched any weapons in space doesn’t mean there isn’t reason for concern.
He added that all levels of government should be working to dissuade the Russians from moving forward with developing space-based weapons and “going down this path.”
This week, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, warned of a “serious national security threat” about the Russians developing a space nuclear weapon. Politico reported that sources indicate that the U.S. has been concerned about the threat of Russians developing and deploying such a weapon.
Turner called for the White House to declassify information about the national security threat. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said this week he was surprised by the timing of Turner’s announcement.
The concerns come after Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test on one of its own satellites, which was broken into 1,500 pieces of debris, Politico reported.
