Admin comment:
— Red Alert memes and Jokes about Xeno Aggression aside, at this point it's almost obvious that United States Intelligence made some discovery about Russian Anti-Satelite/Anti-ISR weaponry capabilities

Anyone who watched Putin's interview understands well that once the "Stars" fall to Earth, the West is, in practical terms, blind and deaf.

https://news.1rj.ru/str/BellumActaNews/114950

— Perhaps, if we consider it in practical terms, this is one of the points why Elon Musk supports the idea of peace as soon as possible, since technically, SpaceX's Low Orbit Satellites, Starlink, are used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for fast comms purposes at the frontlines

🇷🇺☢️🚀 I’m sure additional Information will be released in the coming days, but the current “Wording” seems to indicate that the Russians are attempting to get Nuclear Weapons into Space but haven’t yet; however, with the multiple Soyuz-2 Rocket Launches since December including the Cosmos-2575 Mission on February 9th, they are likely getting Close.

Information about the Launch on February 9th:

On February 9th, the Cosmos-2575 Mission was launched by Roskosmos using a Soyuz-2 Rocket carrying an “Unknown Payload into Space for the Russian Ministry of Defense.”

🔗🧵 OSINT Defender

🇷🇺☢️🚀 October 16th 2023: Russia Warns Western Nations over Space Satellites Used to Help Ukraine

The armed conflict in outer space may be more than just science fiction as Russia has issued a warning that Western space satellites used in conflicts may become a "legitimate target" for Russian strikes.

This remark came from Vladimir Ermakov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s non-proliferation and arms control department, who criticized Western countries for compromising the sustainability of peaceful space activities by utilizing civilian satellites for military purposes.

He also questioned the legality of using satellites for military purposes, citing concerns within the framework of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

The Outer Space Treaty, in effect since October 10, 1967, prohibits the stationing of weapons of mass destruction in outer space and bans military activities on celestial bodies. It establishes binding regulations governing the peaceful exploration and use of space, emphasizing its exclusive use for peaceful purposes.

Russia has long accused Washington and its allies of employing space and aerial reconnaissance assets to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with critical information about Russian military activities. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the orbital constellation comprises approximately 450 satellites, primarily commercial Earth remote sensing and radiotechnical monitoring satellites. These satellites play a pivotal role in target identification, reconnaissance, and intercepting radio communication messages.

In addition to space systems, reconnaissance aircraft, and UAVs, daily flights from air bases in various European countries are utilized to monitor the situation. The data gathered is analyzed by US forces in Europe and NATO to assess Russian troop movements, a crucial component of their strategic military operation. The processed information is then transmitted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine through multiple communication channels, including satellite communications systems like SpaceX's Starlink.

🔗 https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/russia-warns-western-nations-over-space-satellites-used-to-help-ukraine-2023-10-16-0/

🇺🇸 “I think the next war will be cyber and space.”

United States Space Force was the butt of jokes when it was created as the sixth branch of the military four years ago.

But it's now clear Space Force could become our most important defender.

🔗 Brian Entin

🇺🇸 IN 2021 BIDEN’S SPOKESPERSON MOCKED SPACE FORCE

Their position may have changed now.

🔗 Mario Nawfal

🇺🇸☢️🇷🇺 Warning from House Intel is about Russia’s space power — Politico

A vague warning by the chair of the House Intelligence Committee about a “serious national security threat” Wednesday is related to Russia and space, according to three people familiar with the matter.

In his statement Wednesday morning, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said his committee had made available the information about the national security threat and called on the administration to declassify the intelligence so officials and lawmakers could discuss the matter with allies.

It is not clear what prompted Turner to issue the statement now, as the intelligence has been available to leaders of the House intelligence committee and their top aides in a secure room on Capitol Hill for more than a week, one of the people said.

It’s possible Turner was attempting to raise alarms about Russia’s advancements in space as a way of underscoring the need for lawmakers to approve additional aid to Ukraine. The Senate passed the supplemental bill including $60 billion in aid for Kyiv. It is currently under review by the House.

It’s unclear exactly what capability Russia has developed that has concerned officials and lawmakers.

One possibility is Russia’s 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile that can fly at speeds between Mach 6 and Mach 8 and is designed to strike land and naval targets.

The hypersonic missile, built by NPO Mashinostroyeniya, entered service last year aboard a Russian frigate, the Admiral Golovko.

Russia began ramping up its hypersonic weapon development in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

U.S. officials have also raised the alarm in recent years about missiles launched from Earth’s surface that can destroy satellites in orbit. In 2021, Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test on one of its own satellites, breaking it up into more than 1,500 pieces of debris — which can pose a serious threat to other objects in orbit.

The prospect of Russia developing concerning capabilities relating to space comes amid strengthening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

In December, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to launch three military spy satellites in 2024. Three months earlier, Kim met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny spaceport, Russia’s most important launch center, to discuss how the countries can cooperate in space.

A Russian space nuke absolutely makes sense in military terms:

A high-altitude Nuclear-EMP creates an electric free field incident powerful enough to damage any microcircuitry onboard satellites (see: Starfish Prime Test), especially modern electronics due to increasingly thin structures (therefore electric breakthrough occurs already at relatively low voltages). We are hardening military systems against such EM incidents by shielding, e.g. on a ship using its hull as a Faraday cage. This can't be done on a satellite due to weight constraints.

First, a space nuke would disable recon satellites, both RF (radio frequency) and EO (electro optical), therefore making command blind. Second, it would disable GPS, therefore severely reducing effectiveness of ballistic and cruise missiles guidance (inertial guidance is drifting over time, losing accuracy over longer distances). Third, communication satellites (military but also commercial such as Starlink) would be disabled, leaving troops without orders in time of crisis. Finally, radars are cluttered for days by charged particles bouncing along earth's magnetic field lines, emitting EMI, making air defense and air operations almost impossible.

It would instantaneously nullify most of the US most powerful military assets. It's the ultimate preemptive strike weapon, so it's clear why they would be concerned.

Of course no WW3 will break out, but instead they will use this to beg for more money (as always) to spend on useless high-altitude air defense systems (mainly LMT & RTX, over years to come).

— from a commenter

🇦🇪❌🇺🇸 UAE restricts US ability to launch retaliatory airstrikes against Iran proxies

Some Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, are increasingly restricting the U.S. from using military facilities on their soil to launch retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian proxies, according to four people familiar with the issue.

Amid a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, several Arab countries, particularly those “attempting a detente with Iran,” are “increasingly restricting” the U.S. and partners from conducting self-defense operations from their soil, according to the U.S. official. This includes limits on retaliatory strikes against attacks in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea, the official said.

Certain Arab countries are restricting access to basing and overflight for the assets participating in these retaliatory strikes, the official said. It’s not clear how many countries are taking this action.

The reason the UAE in particular is doing this, per one of the Western officials, is “they don’t want to appear like they’re against Iran and they don’t want to appear too close to the West and Israel for public opinion reasons.” The UAE has in recent years also raised concerns about increasing attacks from the Houthis in Yemen. The rebel group has previously launched missiles into the UAE.

🔗 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/14/united-arab-emirates-retaliatory-airstrikes-iran-00141460