Last week, the House Intelligence Committee chair warned of a new national security threat concerning an alleged Russian plot to move warheads from its nuclear arsenal into space. 

While the Biden administration has refrained from sharing any further details on the covert weapon system, reports indicate it is a nuclear weapon capable of taking out other satellites. 

Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, tells The Hill that Russia’s development of a new nuclear weapon could start an arms race and militarize space. 

“Having a nuclear weapon in space like that permanently would be a clear violation of international norms,” he says. “That can create a nuclear space race. I think that’s the bigger threat.”

McFate was also quoted in the Daily Express article, “Putin red-faced as 'plot' to launch nuclear weapon into space doomed - Pentagon insider.”

McFate says this should act as a “reminder of how challenging it can be to maintain confidentiality among members of Congress.”