U.S. Space Command head, General Stephen Whiting, warned that Russia still poses a "formidable" challenge to America's dominance in space despite facing setbacks on the battlefield against Ukraine.
"Russia's struggles following their invasion of Ukraine should not create a false sense of confidence that Moscow is fading in the space domain," Whiting said during the 2024 Space Summit on Tuesday, as quoted by SpaceNews.
According to Whiting, Russia's weakness within its military amid its over two-year war in Ukraine may push Moscow to focus on space-based operations, cyber systems and other "unconventional methods" in the future, according to SpaceNews. He added that Moscow "will remain a formidable and less predictable challenge to the United States in key areas over the next decade, while still facing many hurdles of its own making."
Whiting's comments come as tensions between the U.S. and Russia, onset by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, have boiled over into the race for space control in recent months. U.S. intelligence warned in February that the Kremlin had obtained an anti-satellite space-based weapon that use nuclear technology, although White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby assured a few weeks later that the system is not operational and can not cause "physical destruction" on Earth.
President Vladimir Putin has also adamantly denied accusations that Moscow has plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. But the head of Russia's space agency, Yuri Borisov, said on Tuesday that the Kremlin is in talks with China about putting a nuclear power plant on the moon within the next decade. According to a report from Reuters, Borisov said that Moscow and Beijing are "seriously considering" the project and that Russia has been able to contribute its knowledge on "nuclear space energy." The power plant could allow for future lunar settlements, he added.
Whiting did not address reports regarding Russian nuclear technology in space, he did raise concern Tuesdays that an immediate concern for U.S. national security is protecting satellite systems from potential cyber-attacks, referring to such systems as the "soft underbelly" of Washington's space programs.
Newsweek reached out to U.S. Space Command via email for more information.
Whiting recently warned about Russia's pursuit of a "suite of counterspace weaponry," telling the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that Moscow is working on developing "directed energy weapons and satellite communications jammers" as well as cyberspace weapons.
"These weapons are intended to disrupt, threaten and destroy space targets or
otherwise deny freedom of action in space," he added. "Russia views its counterspace capabilities as a means to deter aggression from adversaries reliant on space."
Whiting also warned lawmakers that China is growing its space capabilities as well, adding that Beijing is "growing its military space and counterspace capabilities at breathtaking pace to deny American and Allied space capabilities when they so choose."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
