It appears that pleas for President Obama to toughen his stance on Russia have fallen on deaf ears. Despite a litany of brazen power plays by Moscow, the Obama administration is now considering a proposal that could enhance Russia’s capability to spy on the United States. The Senate will soon have an opportunity to ensure that this proposal and any others like it in the future do not put America’s national security interests at risk.
Many Americans were stunned when, on November 16, news reports surfaced that Russian Space agency Roscosmos is close to gaining approval for the construction of half-a-dozen satellite ground monitoring stations on U.S. soil. It is disturbing that it took leaks to the media from defense and intelligence officials for Americans to discover that such an audacious proposal was even under review.
The stated purpose of the Russian-controlled monitoring stations is to improve Moscow’s global positioning network, but logic dictates that the stations would also give Russia a prime vantage point to spy on the United States from within our own borders.
The project has rightly stirred serious concerns within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon. As Department of Defense (DoD) and CIA officials have warned, Russia could use these stations to gather intelligence and provide its satellite-guided weapons with pinpoint accuracy.
Sen. Roger Wicker
11/27
Magnolia Tribune
