White House confirms Russian development of anti-satellite program

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday said that the United States knew about Russian development of an anti-satellite program. He said the program was “troubling” while not an active capability of Russia. He added that there was “no immediate threat to anyone’s safety” and the weapon likely wouldn’t be used to destroy targets on Earth. Just a day earlier, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, had demanded that the Biden administration declassify materials related to a “serious national security threat” and after the House Intelligence Committee warned members of Congress about the existence of a “destabilizing foreign military capability.”

Is the Biden administration declassifying this information? White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he planned to meet Thursday with Congressional leaders in the “Gang of Eight,” who receive intelligence briefings.

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