Russian Space Nuclear Weapon Could Devastate Satellites in Low Earth Orbit: Pentagon Official

Principal Cyber Adviser to the Defense Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb testifies during a hearing before the Cyber, Information Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 30, 2023. The subcommittee held a hearing on "Cyberspace Operations: Conflict in the 21st Century." Alex Wong/Getty Images

Russia is developing a space-based nuclear weapon that could make low Earth orbit —where the majority of satellites are located—unusable for a year if detonated, according to a senior Pentagon official.

During a May 1 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee, John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for Space Policy, warned about Russia bringing nuclear weapons into space.