Military Madness > Is Putin pulling a Reagan on the USA?

 

Is Putin pulling a Reagan on the USA? Reagan drove The USSR into bankruptcy with it's space weapons program, contributing to its collapse. Is Putin turning the tables?

Russia wants to deploy a nuclear weapon in space

to destroy Western satellites, US fears

By 

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Published Feb. 14, 2024

 Updated Feb. 14, 2024, 3:44 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — Russia wants to put nuclear weapons in space to obliterate Western satellites, according to alarming new US intelligence.

The frightening possibility was revealed hours after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner publicly said Congress had information on a “serious national security threat” — sparking intense speculation. 

The Kremlin has not yet launched nuclear weapons into orbit, but is interested in doing so, the ABC, New York Times  and Washington Post reported Wednesday afternoon, citing current and former officials.

The unprecedented deployment of nuclear weapons into space would be geared toward striking enemy satellites, rather than for the purpose of dropping A-bombs on Earth, the reports said.

Attacks on satellites could threaten communications as well as important scientific and military tools.

Whether Russia actually has developed a space-based nuclear capability — or if it’s merely interested in doing so — is unclear.

The Washington Post reported that Russia “has experimented with the use of nuclear explosions or directed energy to disable satellites,” according to one U.S. official.

It was not immediately clear why Russia would need nuclear weapons in space to destroy enemy satellites — as opposed to rockets or lasers that can also destroy relatively delicate orbiting equipment.

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The Kremlin has not yet launched nuclear weapons into orbit, but is interested in doing so, according to reports.

Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

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House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that members of Congress have received “information concerning a serious national security threat.”

Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Russia destroyed one of its own satellites in 2021 using a ground-based missile, creating a hazardous cloud of 1,500 trackable pieces of space junk that threatened other satellites. 

The unsettling intel came as ardent US advocates for Ukraine attempted to pressure House leaders to hold a vote on $60 billion in aid for Kyiv to fend off Russia’s stalled two-year-old invasion.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, who just days ago returned from a trip to Ukraine, stoked a frenzied guessing game Wednesday morning by publicly saying that members of Congress received “information concerning a serious national security threat.”

He demanded that Biden “declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson — who has balked at additional Ukraine aid over concerns about local corruption and a lack of answers from the White House about US goals in the conflict — quickly sought to allay concerns.

Johnson (R-La.) said Americans had “no need for alarm” about the intelligence referenced by Turner (R-Ohio).

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The unprecedented deployment would be geared toward potentially striking enemy satellites.

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Asked about the nature of the threat during a White House press conference, national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to say whether it was a foreign military threat or if he could assure Americans they should not worry.

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“Last month, I sent a letter to the White House requesting a meeting with the president to discuss a serious national security issue that is classified,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol.

“In response to that letter, a meeting is now scheduled tomorrow on this matter here at the Capitol with the Gang of Four and with the president’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan,” he added, referring to a group of eight top members of Congress who are regularly briefed on highly classified information.

“I will press the administration to take appropriate action, and everybody can be comforted by that.”

Johnson added, “I want to assure the American people there is no need for public alarm. We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified. And beyond that I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much more.”

One Hill source told The Post, however, that the information was “urgent” and concerned a potential foreign military capability. 

The intelligence committee voted to make its contents available to all House members this week, the source added — assuring the mysterious alert’s substance would quickly become public knowledge due to the notoriously loose-lipped membership of that chamber.

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When asked if Americans should be concerned, Schumer said, “That’s all I’m going to say.”

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He also emphasized that the House Intelligence chairman’s declassification request was “ultimately” a decision for President Biden.

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A spokesman for the committee did not immediately respond to a request for further information.

The US, which does not have nuclear weapons in space, and Russia are both parties to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which prohibits signers from “placing in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.”

Countries can withdraw from such agreements, however. Former President Donald Trump, for example, ended US participation in an arms-control pact with Russia that regulated the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear weapons, citing alleged Russian noncompliance.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned Wednesday evening that the “most urgent national security threat facing the American people right now is the possibility that Congress abandons Ukraine and allows Vladimir Putin’s Russia to win.”

The White House’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed frustration Wednesday with Turner’s public airing of the matter when the Gang of Eight was due to be briefed Thursday.

However, he declined to say if he could assure Americans they should not worry.

“In a way, that question is impossible to answer with a straight ‘yes,’” Sullivan said at the regular White House press briefing.

Sullivan added, however, “I will stand here at this podium and assert that, look you in the eye with confidence, that we believe that we can, and will and are protecting the national security of the United States.”

Sullivan emphasized that Turner’s declassification request was “ultimately” a decision for President Biden.

Senate members of the eight-legislator group due to receive more information were similarly tight-lipped.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told The Post that “I am aware of the threat but I can’t comment on anything classified.”

When asked if Americans should be concerned, Schumer said, “That’s all I’m going to say.”

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and vice chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a joint statement Tuesday afternoon that the panel “has the intelligence in question, and has been rigorously tracking this issue from the start.” 

“We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration,” Warner and Rubio said. “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.”

The pending $60 billion in additional US aid for Ukraine passed the Senate on Tuesday morning as part of a broader $95 billion foreign assistance package. Congress previously appropriated $113 billion in Ukraine war aid.

Speaker Johnson has requested a meeting with Biden to discuss the war before deciding on whether to hold a floor vote.

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Gorbachev Warns of Growing Danger

A group of Americans visiting Russia heard dire warnings from ex-Soviet President Gorbachev that the tensions between the U.S. and Russia are creating a dangerous situation for the world

By Rick Sterling

The former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, is 87 years old but still sharp. He told a delegation of 30 Americans in a two-week visit to Russia organized by the Center for Citizen Initiatives, “This is a time to be concerned. We should worry about relations between our two countries. … Things cannot continue as they are.”

President Gorbachev recalled his initial meetings with President Reagan, which came after six years of poor relations and hostility. In the first summit meeting, Reagan issued a long list of accusations against the Soviet Union; Gorbachev responded with his own accusations against the U.S. After that meeting Gorbachev said “He’s not a hawk; he’s a dinosaur” while Reagan said about Gorbachev “He’s a die-hard communist.”

At the next summit meeting, Reagan continued lecturing Gorbachev. After listening for 15 minutes. Gorbachev stopped Reagan saying, “That’s enough. If you want to talk as equals we can go very far. Differences can be bridged. Problems can be resolved. But as equals.”

Reagan asked how the Soviet Union would respond if the United States was at risk because of some kind of natural calamity. When Gorbachev said his people would want to help, not take advantage, the mood changed.

Gorbachev recalled his own friendly experience talking with average Americans. He suggested that perhaps the U.S. needs its own perestroika. He reminded us that it was President John F Kennedy who said, “We need peace but not a Pax Americana ….. not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women.”

Gorbachev continued saying, “The current situation is not right. We need to change that. Let us stop provoking each other. Let us stop trying to tear up other countries. …. Our two countries are still central to world peace. We need peace in order to resolve other world problems. One percent of the world controls 90 percent of the wealth. The ruling class is happy with this but things cannot continue as they are. … Budgets smell of gunpowder. … Fear is being cultivated. This is resulting in a new arms race.”

There are many in that one percent who benefit greatly from an arms race. Unfortunately, it seems to be them who are in control of things. There are oligarchs in both countries and in NATO.

Gorbachev asked, “Does the USA want Russia to just submit?” Referring to Russia’s history with invasions by France in the early 1800s and Germany in the 1940s, he explained “This is a country that can never submit…. There will be no winners in a nuclear war.”

The Ukraine Crisis

The 30-member delegation has been having informative meetings with numerous people to gain a better understanding of modern Russia and its relations with the United States and the world. Another especially interesting meeting was held with Vladimir Kozin, member of the Russian Academy of Military Science.

Ukraine’s anti-Russian President Petro Poroshenko speaking to the Atlantic Council in 2014. (Photo credit: Atlantic Council)

Vladimir Kozin is an arms control specialist and member of the Russian Academy of Military Science who has worked on arms control issues since the 1970s. Kozin says that Russians see themselves being encircled by NATO. Of the 16 countries bordering Russia, eight have anti-Russia sentiments. He notes that the U.S. military budget is 12 times greater than that of Russia and increasing.

Kozin said it is a “fairy tale” that Russia interfered in the U.S. election. What is NOT a fairy tale, he said, is that the U.S. has spent a huge amount of money to influence Russian elections in the past and funded 400 Non-Governmental Organizations (or NGOs), which were part of the destabilization campaign in Ukraine leading to the 2014 coup.

Regarding key conflict points emerging from the Ukraine crisis, Kozin noted that Crimea was part of Russia since 1783. He added that the despite the presence of 16,000 Russian troops (who were in Crimea as part of the Sevastopol naval base agreement) and 18,000 Ukrainian troops, the Crimea plebiscite to re-unify with Russia was handled without violence, with huge turnout and overwhelming vote in favor.

As for hostilities in eastern Ukraine, Kozin asked why this fighting has happened just because the largely ethnic Russian population resisted the overthrow of elected President Viktor Yanukovych and demanded some form of autonomy from Kiev.

Vladimir Kozin, member of the Russian Academy of Military Science

If Scotland can consider secession from the United Kingdom and Catalonia from Spain, he argued, what’s wrong with Donbass (eastern Ukraine) wanting more autonomy within Ukraine? Why has Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko turned to military conflict instead of negotiating with the dissidents in eastern Ukraine?

Kozin believes it is vital to have an arms control summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin. He thinks we should work toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons by 2045. In the meantime, the easiest way to reduce tension and the risk of war would be an agreement on “No First Use of Nuclear Weapons,” he said.

In a sober assessment of Trump’s first 100 days as President, Kozin concluded, “Aggravating these facts of life is the deep degree of mistrust between Washington and Moscow, which the Americans spawned and have continued to nurse. A vicious circle has emerged in the interrelationship between weapons and trust … Clearly such an irrational phenomenon cannot go on indefinitely.”

From both Kozin and Gorbachev the message was clear: We need to do something to restore discussion and stop the slide toward ever greater tension and danger.

Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can be contacted at rsterling1@gmail.com