# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/21 "2024-02-18T00:30:19Z")
It’s interesting how Mike Turner could use ‘a serious national security threat’ as a gambit. I’ll temper my reaction in the future as there’ll be more like this in the election year. ---
**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 18, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/22 "2024-02-18T01:01:10Z")
“Interesting” is one way of looking at it, certainly. Along with “reckless”, “counterproductive”, “unhelpful”. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/23 "2024-02-18T21:21:24Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I looked up Mr. Himes and I’m slightly surprised that he doesn’t have any kind of military or intelligence background. I’m not surprised at all. This is a political system where a used car salesman with a grade 10 education can find themselves in a position of serious political power to make decisions that affect the entire nation. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/24 "2024-02-18T21:27:35Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > 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. Is it realistic to take out multiple satellites with one EMP blast? I imagine they they’re scattered over an enormous volume of space. ---
**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 19, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/25 "2024-02-19T00:25:37Z")
An EMP blast in space would reach several thousands of kilometers. Geostationary satellites are assigned slots 75 km wide, and LEO satellites are in the same order of magnitude (Starlink sats for example are 100-150 km apart). So a blast could take out a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562/26 "2024-02-19T02:56:51Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > This is a political system where a used car salesman with a grade 10 education can find themselves in a position of serious political power to make decisions that affect the entire nation. That’s what makes Democracy so very Precious! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-intel-announcement-on-possible-national-security-threat-see-post-3/997562.md?page=1)