Warning over Russian ‘plot’ to launch Pearl Harbor-style attack against in US in SPACE and destroy satellites
RUSSIA is plotting to launch a Pearl Harbor-style attack on the US in space and destroy its satellites, an expert warns.
Geopolitical expert Brandon J Weichert told The Sun that Russia and China have both “weaponized” space over the past decade, fueling fears of a potential conflict involving the US.
He said: “There is a new space occurring where the US is competing against its old Cold War rival, the Russians, and a new rival the Chinese.
“We in the US have taken the dominant American position for granted.
“Both Russia and China realize that they cannot compete against the US in a fair fight militarily so what they are both doing is reorganizing their militaries to fight and win a space war against the Americans.”
He warned that Washington is currently lagging behind both Moscow and Beijing in the so-called space race.
In his book, Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Weichert says that Russian co-orbital satellites, known as space stalkers, have been tailgating US satellites for years.
He predicts that the stalkers will eventually hit the satellites, sending them crashing into the ground.
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Weichert believes Russia is preparing to launch a “devastating” attack on American satellites at the time of its choosing.
The expert said that space is crucial to the plans of authoritarian rulers who want to reduce America’s ability to project power.
He warned that before launching an attack on the US, Russia would be “engaged in a series of escalations” with neighboring countries.
An attack in space would reduce Washington’s military capabilities as there could be hits on nuclear command and control satellites, according to the expert.
Russia conducted an anti-satellite weapon test (ASAT) on November 15 where it destroyed one of its own satellites that had been in orbit since 1982.
It created a field of 1,500 trackable pieces of debris, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken branded “dangerous and irresponsible”.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Moscow’s behavior “demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypercritical”.
Weichert warned: “An attack could happen as early as February 2022, or it could happen within the next five to seven years.”
“Within 30 minutes to an hour, you could potentially have this cascade of failures among American satellite networks that basically leads the country back to the 1970s.
‘DEVASTATING’ ATTACK
“A Russian attack in space would be the most devastating conducted on American forces since either Pearl Harbor or 9/11.”
Moscow appears to have ramped up its wargames as its “Star Wars” missile that’s reportedly capable of shooting down “space weapons” and nukes has already been put into service.
The S-550 is capable of “striking spacecraft, ballistic missile re-entry vehicles and hypersonic targets at altitudes of tens of thousands of kilometers”.
Ministry sources in Moscow told the TASS news agency that the covert weapon is an “unrivaled” defense system.
The S-550 is seen as part of an air defense modernization involving the S-350 Vityaz, S-400 Triumf, and S-500 Prometheus – which can reportedly destroy incoming hypersonic missiles in near-space.
The missiles will “completely cover the Russian sky from possible attacks”, according to reports.
And Moscow launched its largest rocket the Angara A-5 since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago.
It’s designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s.
And, Putin hopes the technology will help Russia reduce its dependence on other former Soviet states as it revives its space program.
‘NEW ALLIANCES’
The Russian strongman appears to be developing “strategic” ties with China amid growing tensions with NATO.
Putin said Moscow and Beijing are cooperating in security and working in space.
Isabel Sawkins, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society specializing in Russia, previously told The Sun that such an alliance could be “potentially catastrophic”
She said: “If you have Russia and China working together the US is going to go into absolute panic.
“You would have China working with Russia and them both having this anxiety over the West – and that brings them together. That’s a really terrifying prospect.”
The revelations about the security alliance come amid bubbling tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
Fears of a potential conflict continue to rise as leaders try to diffuse the crisis.
A Russian attack on Ukraine is not imminent but Weichert fears Putin’s imperialism could spark a global conflict if left unchecked.
He believes the leader could try to “gobble up” former Soviet territories.
Weichert said: “The US can’t go to war over Ukraine. It’s not worth it and it’s not the right time.
“But at the same time, if we cede Eastern Ukraine, it’s going to encourage more aggression. We learned this in the Second World War.”
Brandon J Weichert is a geopolitical expert and the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower.
