Tag: General News

The White House coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council recently held a press conference where he informed the public of a recent intelligence community assessment regarding Russia’s pursuit of anti-satellite (ASAT) “capability.” Though he didn’t go into specifics, he did mention that President Biden had informed allies of this new threat, and that the other four “Five Eyes” countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) had been informed of this challenge. 

Since the earlier days of space exploration, nations have been concerned about nefarious activity above the Earth’s atmosphere. In October 1967, 110 countries (including the Soviet Union, now Russia) ratified a treaty banning weapons of mass destruction in space; the desired effect was to keep this domain safe to allow for unimpeded peaceful exploration. 

Fast-forward to today, and though the intelligence community has carefully approved the use of the word “capability” rather than “weapons,” there are those who speculate that Russia’s pursuit of an anti-satellite capability is akin to a nuclear-capable weapon.  

This would not only go against established norms of the types of activity allowed in space but could be seen as an existential threat to the U.S., the “Five Eyes” countries, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and other allies and partners. In a scenario of a war with a high-technology adversary such as the U.S. and NATO, Russia would seek to eliminate that advantage. 

The intelligence community relies on satellites to gather information on potential foes. The National Security Agency uses them in gathering signals intelligence; both the National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency acquire imagery from these platforms. Without the accouterment of intelligence-owned satellites, the U.S. and other allies are potentially “blind” in knowing what an adversary is up to. 

The Defense Department is also heavily reliant on satellites. The department uses these to enable standoff with unmanned aerial vehicles, which can be flown from half a world away, thus overcoming traditional line-of-sight limitations. Moreover, the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) constellation allows for precise weaponry to be used for targeted kinetic strikes, significantly limiting collateral damage in times of war. The Defense Department also makes use of satellites to track friendly forces vis-à-vis blue force trackers, to help avoid fratricide, and relies on them for voice and data communications. 

Many industries, including health care, logistics, construction and agriculture, rely on satellites and GPS technology. The world’s financial sector is dependent upon it as well. Even in one’s personal life, GPS has made ground travel much easier by everyday users being able to pull up directions on their smartphones.  

The prevailing threat of ASAT weapons to the “Five Eyes” countries is a concern not just to these five countries but to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other Western democracies that share similar values. Anti-satellite weapons are not a new phenomenon but they do present a formidable challenge regarding life as one knows it; if Russia takes things to a new level and if it disregards the weaponization of space, not only would the capabilities specifically mentioned earlier be at risk, but there would be further unintended secondary and tertiary effects that could occur that are not known at this time.  

The U.S. and its allies must engage diplomatically with Russia and pressure the Kremlin to move away from these efforts. Coordination with NATO allies and other nation states to make a common stance would prove more convincing. The pursuit and emplacement of weapons of mass destruction in space in the form of an ASAT weapon will have crossed a red line. There still appears to be time to resolve this issue, but not much time.   

John Weaver, DPA, is associate professor of intelligence analysis at York College of Pennsylvania. Tom Røseth is an associate professor and head of the Ukraine Program, Oslo, Norway at the Norwegian Defense College. They are coauthors of a forthcoming book titled, “The ‘Five Eyes’ Intelligence Sharing Relationship: A Contemporary Perspective” (Palgrave Macmillan). 

Top Biden campaign officials on Wednesday cited the results of Super Tuesday as evidence former President Trump is a vulnerable general election candidate.

“The results of last night’s Super Tuesday contests cemented what we have known for some time now: Donald Trump limps into the general election as a wounded, dangerous and unpopular candidate,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a memo shared with reporters.

“The Republican nominee is cash-strapped, beleaguered by a host of external issues, and is running on an extreme agenda that is already proving to be a significant liability for key voting blocs that are critical to the pathway to 270 electoral votes,” the two wrote.

Trump nearly swept the Super Tuesday states, with Nikki Haley winning Vermont. Trump is expected to secure the necessary delegates in the coming weeks to become the presumptive Republican nominee, setting up a rematch with President Biden in November.

The former president made no mention of Haley in his victory speech, predicting the GOP would unify around him and spending extended time bashing Biden over immigration, crime and the economy.

Biden has easily won each Democratic primary contest, though there are signs of discontent in states like Michigan and Minnesota, where a campaign to vote “uncommitted” in protest of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict racked up thousands of votes.

Polling has shown Trump leading Biden in several key swing states, including Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Recent polls have shown Biden leading in Pennsylvania, with a close race in Wisconsin.

But Biden campaign officials in Wednesday’s memo argued the choice between Trump and Biden in November is just coming into view.

“Building off of last night’s momentum, tomorrow evening’s State of the Union address will provide the American people with the latest example of the stark choice they will be confronted with in November between President Biden, who remains laser-focused on delivering for the American people while running on a historically popular record of accomplishment, and Donald Trump, whose failed record and dark vision for this country is as dangerous as it is unpopular with the voters who will decide this election,” O’Malley Dillon and Rodriguez wrote.

The two acknowledged November will be a “very close general election contest,” but pointed to a few key factors as evidence Biden is in a strong position after Super Tuesday.

Biden’s campaign argued the president is consolidating his coalition more effectively than Trump, noting Haley has garnered thousands of votes in numerous states despite the GOP primary effectively being a foregone conclusion. High percentages of Haley voters have also indicated they would not vote for Trump in a general election.

The memo also pointed to the vast difference in campaign resources as a sign of trouble for Trump. The Biden campaign brought in a record haul in grassroots fundraising in February, and the campaign had $130 million in cash on hand as of February.

Trump, meanwhile, has burned through money to pay his mounting legal expenses, though he is expected to get an infusion of cash when he becomes the presumptive nominee and can merge his fundraising efforts with the Republican National Committee.

The Biden campaign officials argued Biden has a stronger agenda and the results at the ballot box to prove he is capable of winning in November. The memo pointed to strong Democratic turnout since the June 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, an issue that is likely to be a central factor in November’s race.

“The road to victory is about earning, not just asking for, the American people’s support. That means putting in the work in every community, meeting voters where they are about the stakes of this election, and investing everywhere,” O’Malley Dillon and Rodriguez wrote. “We are confident that the President and Vice President’s vision for unity, freedom, and progress will again defeat Donald Trump’s extremist, dangerous agenda this November.”