Intelligence Assessment: Space War Approaches... Russia and China Prepare to Disable US Satellites!

- Fears of a Russian nuclear weapon in orbit threaten thousands of satellites worldwide

The first clashes in the next major war could begin hundreds of miles above Earth’s surface, as U.S. adversaries seek to cripple its military capabilities by jamming communications, disrupting the Global Positioning System (GPS), and targeting satellites with lasers or destroying them entirely, according to a report published by Fox News.

A new comprehensive intelligence assessment released by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reveals that China and Russia are developing advanced means to disable or destroy U.S. satellites, including a Russian satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon into Earth orbit.

U.S. forces rely on satellites for communications across battlefields, navigation of ships and aircraft, tracking enemy forces, monitoring missile launches, and guiding precision weapons to their targets. Disabling these systems could weaken forces’ ability to observe, communicate, and execute military strikes.

Clayton Swoop, deputy director of the Space Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News that conducting military operations in the manner currently practiced is no longer possible without satellites and space-based systems.

He added that the side that achieves space superiority and can deny its adversary access to space holds a strategic advantage in any conflict.

The repercussions of targeting satellites extend beyond military operations, as navigation, communications, banking, transportation, and power grid systems also depend on them. Thus, a large-scale attack in space could disrupt services relied upon by millions of people daily.

Russia views U.S. dependence on satellites for executing precision strikes and demonstrating military strength as a strategic vulnerability that could be exploited during conflict.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency categorizes threats into escalating levels, starting with attacks that temporarily disable satellites without destroying them, then progressing to cyberattacks, orbital operations, kinetic weapons, and culminating in detonating a nuclear weapon in space.

The report noted that some of these methods have already been used in ongoing conflicts. During the “Epic Fury” operation, the United States and Iran took offensive measures against each other’s space capabilities, aiming to weaken and disrupt the other side’s military operations.

The report did not provide details on those operations but noted that jamming near the Strait of Hormuz in June disrupted U.S. aircraft and ship operations.

Chinese forces are already conducting exercises to jam satellite communications and GPS. Beijing also possesses ground-based laser systems capable of disabling or damaging satellites in low Earth orbit, while the agency estimates that China may be able to deploy space-based directed-energy systems by the late 2020s.

China’s capabilities also include satellites able to approach other satellites and interact with them directly. The “Shijian-17” satellite is equipped with a robotic arm capable of grabbing another satellite, while the “Shijian-21” satellite used a similar technique in 2022 to move a decommissioned Chinese navigation satellite to a higher orbit.

In 2019, the Russian satellite “Kosmos-2543” began tracking a U.S. National Security satellite after it was launched into orbit, approaching it several times before later firing a projectile, an incident described by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency as an anti-satellite weapon test.

In 2022, Russia sent the satellite “Kosmos-2558” near another U.S. government satellite. Two years later, it launched “Kosmos-2576” into the same orbit as a U.S. National Security satellite, before beginning to move toward the U.S. spacecraft.

By 2025, the Russian satellite “Kosmos-2588” was maneuvering at a distance of approximately 93 kilometers from another U.S. government satellite.

According to the intelligence assessment, Russia has also developed a weapon known as “Burevestnik,” which is air-launched and designed to destroy satellites in low Earth orbit.

The weapon is scheduled to be launched from a modified MiG-31 aircraft, with the capability to be placed in orbit with limited or no advance warning.

The use of such a weapon could lead to the rapid and sudden loss or degradation of capabilities of thousands of satellites, whether operated by governments or companies worldwide, threatening communications, navigation, weather forecasting, and national security systems.

The agency warned that the effects of the attack could persist for a long time after the initial detonation, as a nuclear explosion in space could create radiation belts that may last for years, damaging satellites that survived the blast or were only temporarily disabled.

These concerns have been present in Washington for years. In February 2024, Mike Turner, then chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, raised security concerns after calling on the Biden administration to declassify intelligence information regarding a serious national security threat, before it was later revealed that he had ties to a potential Russian capability to use an anti-satellite nuclear weapon.

Last April, U.S. Space Command Commander General Stephen Whiting stated that U.S. officials are deeply concerned about reports suggesting Russia is considering placing an anti-satellite nuclear weapon in orbit, but he declined to confirm whether Moscow is actually developing it.