A Russian space nuke was focus of US wargame, Space Command says

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado—Russia’s hypothetical use of its alleged nuclear anti-satellite capability was the focus of U.S. Space Command’s latest tabletop wargame, which pushed the U.S. government, allies, and dozens of defense companies to speculate on the fallout from the weapon’s launch.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of U.S. Space Command, told Space Symposium attendees Tuesday that the reported development of the Russian weapon was the subject of the first “Apollo Insight” wargame, which concluded last month. The classified exercise involved Space Command officials and more than 60 companies that discussed the “worst-case scenario” and looked at industry solutions “to help prevent such a situation,” according to a recent news release.

“We just concluded our first [exercise] last month, and it was an event focused on weapons of mass destruction on orbit—a development we do not want to see come to fruition, but reporting about Russia’s plans to launch such a weapon, and that has forced us to prepare.”

In 2024, President Joe Biden’s administration said a suspected Russian testbed satellite for the weapon had been in orbit for two years. Moscow denied the claims. Countless defense experts have noted Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon in space would be a violation of the long-standing Outer Space Treaty. 

The wargame involved a broad collection of defense companies, allied nations, and several U.S. government organizations that would be the most affected and that, ultimately, may be tasked with developing and fielding a counter-nuclear weapon capability.

“I feel as though the participants came away from the wargame with a better understanding and awareness of the seriousness of potential threats, and they were eager to share their thoughts on how they could be a part of the solution,” Jay Santee, Aerospace Corp. general manager, said in Space Command’s news release.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom participated, as well as U.S. government organizations including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Energy Department, and NASA.

While Whiting and U.S. Space Command did not disclose the wargame’s findings, open-source reports have described the devastation such a weapon would cause to orbiting satellites. 

“In a purely destructive sense, such a weapon could destroy large numbers of satellites. This would be done in two waves: the first would be those satellites in the line of sight of the nuclear explosion; the second would be satellites affected by the increased amount of trapped in the Van Allen belts,” according to the Secure World Foundation’s latest Global Counterspace Capabilities report. “Some of the effects would not be felt for days, weeks, or even months, as the higher radiation levels slowly degraded unhardened satellites and could persist for years afterwards, endangering the use of space by all countries.”

The wargame’s conclusion preceded U.S. Senate criticisms that the National Defense Strategy inadequately addressed emerging nuclear and space threats. The policy does not mention Russia’s potential anti-satellite weapon, but does allude to the country’s efforts to “modernize and diversify” its nuclear arsenal.