American officials are seeking to increase international pressure on Russia not to deploy an anti-satellite nuclear weapon in space and have received information that undermines Moscow’s declaration that the device it is developing is for peaceful scientific purposes, a senior official at the U.S. said Foreign Ministry on Friday.
Concern is growing in Washington over Russia’s development of a new generation of space nuclear weapons, particularly since Moscow last month vetoed a U.N. measure aimed at keeping space free of such weapons. Some Republicans believe the Biden administration is not doing enough to deter Russian work on the device, and others are concerned about China’s apparent decision not to pressure Moscow to stop it.
On Friday, Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary of state for arms control, said that while the United States has been aware of Russia’s pursuit of such a device for years, “only recently have we been able to more accurately assess its progress.”
Ms. Stewart said in a speech at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington that the orbit that the Russian satellite would occupy would be in a region of high radiation not used by other satellites, information that Russia’s defense undermines that it doesn’t develop a weapon.
She condemned Russia’s veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution pushed by the United States and Japan aimed at reaffirming the ban on placing nuclear weapons in orbit. She argued that every country should urge Russia not to deploy a nuclear-armed satellite.
“Everything we do at the diplomatic level is to prevent the Russians from continuing this program,” she said. “The international reaction should be outrage if this actually continues, because it affects everyone, right? Every single country. The potential impact is indiscriminate.”
Unlike traditional nuclear arsenals, the weapon would not be designed to hit Earth. Instead, it could destroy swarms of commercial and military satellites, including those that are reshaping global communications.
Ms Stewart said that while the device had not been deployed and did not pose an immediate threat, if launched and used it would “render lower Earth orbit unusable for a period of time”. Lower Earth orbit is populated with satellites from organizations like the U.S. government and communications companies like Starlink, meaning the weapon could jam many satellites other than its intended targets.
Russia will defend its veto at the UN General Assembly on Monday.
China abstained from the Security Council vote and supported a Russian amendment nominally aimed at introducing a comprehensive ban on weapons in space and threats to space resources. Ms Stewart said that while the issue had been discussed for years, there was no broad agreement in the international community on a broader ban.
US officials were concerned about China’s decision to abstain from the vote and support the Russian position. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken appealed to Chinese officials to use their influence over Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and not use the weapon.
After the veto, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was convinced Russia was developing a new satellite capable of carrying a nuclear bomb. Mr. Sullivan said placing such a weapon in orbit would endanger a wide range of communications, science and national security services that rely on satellites.
The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prohibits the use of nuclear weapons in space. But Cold War-era arms control treaties have been pushed aside in recent years, and American officials believe the Outer Space Treaty could be the next to be abandoned.
“The Russian Federation has withdrawn from many, if not all, existing arms control treaties,” Ms. Stewart said. “It reflects his desire to put his personal ambitions above international law.”
Mr. Putin has said he has no intention of placing a nuclear weapon in space, but U.S. officials are skeptical, saying they have seen Russian work on the device and preparations to potentially put it into orbit. And Mr. Sullivan said in his statement that if Russia had not intended to deploy a nuclear bomb, it would not have vetoed the resolution.
Representative Michael R. Turner, an Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has raised the alarm about the new Russian device. At a congressional hearing last week, he asked Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III about the impact of a nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapon.
“It would have devastating consequences for many of our capabilities in space — not just our capabilities, but the capabilities of other countries,” Austin said. “For this reason, we believe it is irresponsible for anyone to even consider deploying or deploying a nuclear bomb in space.”
At the hearing, Mr. Turner argued that the Biden administration was doing too little to highlight the threat of a Russian weapon and needed to focus more on deterring Russia from using that weapon.
“I believe this is a Cuban missile crisis in space and that this administration is sleepwalking into an international crisis,” Turner said.
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2024-05-03 23:00:00
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