The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday called on the Biden administration to declassify information about what he called a grave national security threat. A senior Congressional aide in an interview with The Associated Press cited concerns about Russia's anti-satellite weapons.
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio) did not provide details about the nature of the threat, and the Biden administration declined to address it. But several leading lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, warned against being overly cautious.
Congressional aides said they understood the potential threat to be related to space-based Russian anti-satellite weapons that may or may not have been launched. Such weapons could pose a significant risk to U.S. satellites, which transmit billions of bytes of data every hour.
The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said it was not yet clear whether Russia's weapons had nuclear capabilities, but said it was scary.
Turner emailed members of Congress earlier in the day, saying the committee had “identified urgent matters regarding destabilizing foreign military powers” that all Congressional policymakers should know. He said that it should be done. He advised them to come to a secure area to verify the information.
Mr. Turner has called for stronger national security, putting him at odds with some Republicans who favor a more isolationist approach. He also wants updates to key U.S. government surveillance tools that have sparked privacy objections from some Republicans and liberal Democrats.
He also supports continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, even though funding remains uncertain due to opposition from the Republican-led House of Representatives.
Mr Johnson told reporters at Parliament House that he was not at liberty to release classified information.
“We want to assure everyone that you have your hands firmly on the wheel. We are working on it and there is no need to be alarmed,” he said.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the classified information was “important” but “not enough to cause panic.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee said it is tracking the issue.
“We continue to take this matter seriously and will discuss the appropriate response,” Democratic committee chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (Va.) and Republican vice chairman Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) said in a statement. We are in discussions with the government.” . “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing information sources or methods that could be key to preserving a wide range of U.S. options for action.”
Rapidly evolving threats in space were one of the main reasons for the creation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019. Much of that threat involves new capabilities developed by China and Russia that could disrupt critical U.S. satellite communications. such as GPS and the ability to quickly detect missile launches.
In recent years, the United States has discovered new ways that both China and Russia can jam satellites, intercept their signals, blind them, shoot them down, and in some cases use robotic arms to grab them and pull them from their programmed orbits. I am witnessing the pursuit of this. One of the Space Force's key missions is to train forces better able to detect and defend against such threats.
In its 2020 Defense Space Strategy, the Pentagon says China and Russia pose the greatest strategic threat in space due to their aggressive development of counterspace capabilities and military doctrine that calls for extending conflict into space. Stated.
The White House and lawmakers expressed frustration with Turner's concerns after his announcement appeared to catch the Biden administration by surprise.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House that he had already planned to brief Turner and other senior leaders in Congress on Thursday. Mr. Sullivan did not discuss this topic or provide any other details related to Mr. Turner's statement.
“I'm focused on going to see him tomorrow and sitting with him and the other members of the House of Eight,” Sullivan said of the top four leaders in both chambers and the four leaders in both chambers. He mentioned and said: Information Committee. “And I am not in a position to say anything further from this podium at this time.”
He acknowledged that it was not standard practice to provide such an explanation.
“Let me just say that I personally reached out to the Gang of Eight. In fact, it's highly unusual for a national security adviser to do something like that,” Sullivan said. Ta. He said he was contacted earlier this week.
Last month, Johnson said he sent a letter to the White House requesting a meeting with President Biden to discuss “serious national security issues that are classified.” He said the meeting called by Sullivan was in response to Sullivan's request.
Lee, Freaking and Nickmayer contributed to The Associated Press. Mr. Lee reported from Munich. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Tara Copp contributed to this report.
