Biden admin was working behind closed doors to dissuade Russia from testing space weapon

[Eugene]

Source: Politico

Biden admin was working behind closed doors to dissuade Russia from testing space weapon

Administration officials say last week’s revelations might have jeopardized U.S. efforts to dissuade Russia from moving forward.

By ERIN BANCO
02/20/2024 11:29 AM EST

One reason U.S. officials didn’t widely disseminate intelligence about Russia’s efforts to develop a new space weapon: The administration was trying to start talks to convince Russia to back off the program.

Senior intelligence and administration officials had been reaching out to Russia — along with India and China as possible intermediaries — about the project for weeks before it became public, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the outreach.

The intelligence indicated that Russia might be planning to start tests of the device — a space-based antisatellite weapon with nuclear capabilities, the people said. Both were granted anonymity to speak about ongoing sensitive negotiations with Moscow.

The two people said that the administration had been worried that if the program became more widely known in Congress or in the public, that might scuttle the nascent efforts to get Russia to abort those tests. The Biden administration had also worried, they said, that if the details of the intelligence were revealed, the source of that information might dry up.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/20/biden-white-house-russia-space-weapon-00142172

[Historic NY]

1. What is Putin's aim,

to perhaps drive a race to develop a weapon or a weapon defeating system. Sure sounds like he is trying to make the US spend more on weapons than the people. Reminds me of why the Soviet Union collapsed. Star Wars returns.

[getagrip_already]

2. The gop strikes again.....

Putting hysteria and chaos ahead of country.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Nuclear in what respect? The article didn't say, for either propulsion or for arming the laser/etc. device

that is fired at the satellite?

I suspect that such a weapon wouldn't be an effective one, being that it would take a while to 'recharge', as well as get in position for its next target. Space is big, so I wonder if the hype here is needed to push the US into developing such a weapon too. And I thought that weapons in space were not allowed, did the Russians drop out of this treaty too? There are literally thousands of satellites in space, which target should I choose?