# USA Intel Announcement on possible national security threat, see post 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 14, 2024, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562 "2024-02-14T18:40:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/1 "2024-02-14T18:40:15Z")
Breaking news at the top of NBC ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/2 "2024-02-14T18:46:17Z")
I couldn’t get the story to link- sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/3 "2024-02-14T18:47:53Z")
The Republican head of the intelligence committee saying that Joe Biden needs to immediately declassify a major threat has all the smell of some sort of political game. Hopefully I’m right. > **[House Intel chair warns of 'serious national security threat' ahead of...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/house-intel-chair-warns-serious-national-security-threat-ahead-planned-rcna138848)** > > The administration will brief House leaders on Thursday. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said there's no reason for Americans to panic. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/4 "2024-02-14T18:53:02Z")
Could be anything but, if we assume that it’s related to something already in the news, the only thing that comes to mind is the potential that some former, popular Opinion News Host has been working for a foreign nation. Or a nuclear threat or something. I guess we’ll see in a few days. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/5 "2024-02-14T18:55:59Z")
_Somewhat_ of necessity, I now know less than before I read that article. But I did lock my front door. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/6 "2024-02-14T19:01:22Z")
I looked up Mr. Himes and I’m slightly surprised that he doesn’t have any kind of military or intelligence background. Here’s hoping it’s a serious threat they can quickly. nip in the bud. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/7 "2024-02-14T19:15:57Z")
Maybe its related to that loophole in the constitution that we also don’t know about. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/8 "2024-02-14T19:25:43Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > The Republican head of the intelligence committee saying that Joe Biden needs to immediately declassify a major threat has all the smell of some sort of political game. Absolutely. They’re terrified at the thought of Biden looking competent, so they’re trying to write a narrative that they’re “forcing” him to make information public. The White House was probably planning on doing that anyway, to at least some extent, but only after doing things in the right order. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/9 "2024-02-14T20:17:23Z")
The White House already had a briefing planned for them tomorrow, before that GOP message to declassify everything. Rumor I heard just now was that it is about Russia wanting to put a nuke into space. Haven’t seen that confirmed yet though, so you know, grain of salt and all. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/10 "2024-02-14T21:04:08Z")
Thank you to all of you for talking with me. I tend to start planning when announcements are given, like I’m a flock of seagulls or a chipmunk on meth or something. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/11 "2024-02-14T21:35:20Z")
Are they known for their planning? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/12 "2024-02-14T21:50:03Z")
Why weren’t the details just leaked to the media? Wouldn’t Fox News appreciate a leak to them from the Republicans? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/13 "2024-02-14T22:18:43Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Why weren’t the details just leaked to the media? Because a Very Public Statement making Very Important Demands gets your name in the paper. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/14 "2024-02-14T22:33:12Z")
It’s not about the details. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/15 "2024-02-15T21:21:38Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Rumor I heard just now was that it is about Russia wanting to put a nuke into space. The Hill also says that the rumor is currently that “the intelligence Turner was concerned about dealt with Russian nuclear capabilities in space as related to American satellites.” [https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4470100-turner-accused-of-reckless-disregard-as-gop-colleague-asks-for-formal-inquiry/](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4470100-turner-accused-of-reckless-disregard-as-gop-colleague-asks-for-formal-inquiry/) I don’t know that you need a nuke to take out a satellite. While I’m sure that they’re pretty strong relative to their weight, I doubt that you need so much energy to destroy one. So maybe some form of EMP that would take out a big wad of them? [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830566X](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830566X) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/16 "2024-02-15T21:39:34Z")
Here’s some informed guesswork from _Slate_. As for why Mike Turner made his statement, it is speculated that he’s trying to sound an alarm about Russia in hopes of getting the House to approve the Ukraine aid bill, which he supports. I guess he also supports a surveillance program that is due to expire, and the intel possibly came from this program. Assuming the nuclear space capabilities rumors prove true: > Reports have varied on whether the new Russian system is nuclear armed or simply nuclear powered. If it is nuclear armed, that would be a violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the U.S. and Russia from launching into space “any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.” A nuclear-armed Russian ASAT weapon is also tactically puzzling, as detonating it would release radiation, X-rays, electromagnetic pulse, and other effects across a vast and indiscriminate range, disabling its own satellites as well as those of other countries. > > More likely, it’s nuclear _powered_. The advantage of nuclear _propulsion_ is that it can release more energy—either to fire a laser weapon or to better maneuver the satellite—and it can last many years. > **[The Real Takeaway From the “National Security Threat” Panic](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/02/russia-space-nuke-national-security-threat-us-russia-satellites.html)** > > It shows how the U.S. has fallen behind Russia in one important way. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/17 "2024-02-17T18:08:54Z")
It has been confirmed that the threat is actually a nuclear weapon, not just nuclear-powered satellites. Russia is attempting to develop weapons that would take out a large number of satellites with an EMP blast. And evidently, Mike Turner’s vague public statement about the threat has potentially compromised an extremely sensitive intelligence source. Thanks, jerk. [https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/16/politics/russia-nuclear-space-weapon-intelligence/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/16/politics/russia-nuclear-space-weapon-intelligence/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/18 "2024-02-17T19:06:12Z")
Did he at least shout “First!” when he made his unnecessary announcement? What an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/19 "2024-02-17T19:09:11Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > And evidently, Mike Turner’s vague public statement about the threat has potentially compromised an extremely sensitive intelligence source. Thanks, jerk. I’ll take “people who have no business running a government” for a thousand, Alexei. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/20 "2024-02-17T20:04:51Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Alexei. I appreciate that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562.md?page=2)