Our entire contemporary way of life in the US and Europe would be threatened if Russia were to install nuclear weapons in space, according to senior US generals.
The chief of US Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, described Moscow’s potential deployment of these weapons as an incredibly reckless decision, adding that it is an entirely indiscriminate weapon.
Whiting made these remarks during his speech at the Aspen Security Forum.
Scientists are now sounding the alarm about the disastrous effects it may have; if, for instance, they should detonate a nuclear weapon in space, it is going to affect more than just military targets.
According to Lt. General Jeffrey Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency,
Such weaponry could impact first responders, phone towers, the internet, GPS, financial systems, electricity grids, and more.
General Whiting stated that it would affect the United States, Chinese, Russian, European, Indian, and Japanese satellites, seriously endangering our entire contemporary way of life.
Russia would be in breach of its responsibilities under the Outer Space Treaty if it were to employ such a weapon.
There has been a dramatic uptick in the development of anti-satellite weaponry in China, including a so-called “kill web,” which might have far-reaching consequences for Earth.
Chinese troops, according to Whiting, are developing such a system network so they can target US installations in the Indo-Pacific.
Doing so will enhance their military might on Earth.
It seems that China and Russia are working together more than ever to establish and expand their space presence.
Although nuclear weapons have historically been associated with catastrophic destruction resulting in large-scale casualties, their possible application in space is more likely to involve the generation of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
On land or in space, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is produced whenever a nuclear weapon detonates. Electronic devices, especially satellites, are vulnerable to this blast of electromagnetic radiation.
There are presently no defenses in place to protect the United States from this kind of attack, and restoring communications dependent on satellites would take days or weeks of moving existing satellites into position and launching new ones on rockets.
