Welcome to this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief… this Valentine’s Day, many Americans were feeling alarm instead of romance, following a concerning statement issued by the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee about a mysterious national security threat. In our analysis this week, we’ll be looking at 1) Representative Mike Turner’s odd statement, 2) what others in Washington with knowledge of the situation have said on the matter, 3) what sources have revealed the threat to possibly be, and 4) why not everyone appears to be as concerned as Representative Turner is on the matter.
Quote of the Week
“People should not panic, that is unequivocal.”
– Representative Jim Himes
Latest News: In recent coverage from The Debrief, the U.S. Air Force is gearing up to equip its new LITENING targeting pod with enhanced electro-optical and infrared capabilities. Elsewhere, Christopher Plain gives us the latest on the cancellation of the first in-space test of a controversial quantum drive that resulted from an electrical failure on its host satellite. You’ll find links to all our recent stories and other items at the end of this newsletter.
Podcasts: In podcasts from The Debrief, on The Debrief Weekly Report, Kenna and Stephanie explore Saturn’s “Death Star” moon and the recent findings that could hint at what lurks beneath its dark surface. Meanwhile, on The Micah Hanks Program, we get an update from The Sol Foundation on the recent release of new videos from its inaugural symposium. You can get all of The Debrief’s podcasts by heading over to our Podcasts Page.
Video News: In the latest installment of Rebelliously Curious, Chrissy Newton is joined by historian and researcher David Marler of the National UFO Historical Records Center (NUFOHRC). You can check out this interview, and other great content from The Debrief, on our official YouTube Channel.
With all the housekeeping out of the way, it’s time we turn our attention toward the alarming revelations that came out Wednesday, and what officials have said about an alleged national security threat alluded to by members of Congress.
“A Serious National Security Threat”
On Valentine’s Day, while love was in the air for many, alarm bells were ringing elsewhere following a series of strange revelations involving an alleged national security concern that was reportedly discovered by members of Congress.
The situation erupted yesterday following the posting of an odd message to the official X account of the House Intelligence Committee. Attributed to Chairman Mike Turner, the vague but alarming post warned of a mysterious “national security threat” amidst calls for the president to release all classified information related to the unnamed issue.
“Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat,” the statement from Representative Turner read.
“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,” it continued.
No Cause For Alarm… Yet
Naturally, Turner’s statement resulted in intense speculation and concern, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to issue a statement of his own, assembling a small press conference where he announced that a meeting would ensue later this week with President Biden to address the matter.
I do have a statement and I’m going to be very precise, and I’m not gonna take questions,” Speaker Johnson said.
“Last month I sent a letter to the White House requesting a meeting with the President to discuss a serious national security issue that is classified,” Johnson said.
“In response to that letter, a meeting is now scheduled [Thursday] on this matter here at the Capitol with the Gang of Four and with the President’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“I will press the Administration to take appropriate action,” Johnson said, “and everybody can be comforted by that.”
“I saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue,” Johnson added, “and I want to assure the American people there’s no need for public alarm.”
“We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified. And beyond that, I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much more. But we just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel.”
“We’re working on it and there’s no need for alarm,” the House Speaker concluded, taking no questions from members of the media who were present, some of whom asked Representative Turner’s reasons for publicizing the issue.
Speaking on News Nation, Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney also took issue with Turner’s statement, asking similar questions about the possible reasoning behind the move that resulted in public alarm.
“I’m absolutely stunned by Mike Turner’s comment today, trying to figure out what good he was trying to accomplish,” Mulvaney told Blake Burman of The Hill, adding that “there’s no reason for Mike Turner to do this.”
“If it was really serious and it’s a clear and present danger, to use a legal term, then you certainly wouldn’t want it to be public,” Mulvaney said.
So What Is the Mysterious Threat?
It didn’t take long for details to emerge about what the likely threat entailed. While no official statements were released that provided any specifics, several outlets reported that the issue likely involved the potential that Russia may attempt to deploy a nuclear weapon in space in order to target satellites.
Speaking with CNN, former CIA Director Leon Panetta spoke about Russia’s potential use of such a weapon, saying that the country might attempt to use it to compromise the U.S.’s ability to collect intelligence on the country’s operations.
“If Russia could blind our ability to be able to gather that kind of information, make no mistake about it, that would be an act of war,” Panetta told CNN, “because it would threaten our national security.”
Amidst Turner’s statements on Wednesday, The Debrief also reported on a classified U.S. Space Force mission that launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, which is believed to have been carrying a pair of satellites into orbit as part of the launch of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) mission for the US Missile Defense Agency.
Specifically, HBTSS satellites are designed to be capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic threats, and could potentially be used to broaden the Pentagon’s early warning and detection capabilities from orbit.
A Serious Threat, but No Cause for Alarm
Following Wednesday’s statement by Turner, The New York Times reported that based on statements from former officials they spoke with, the U.S. does not presently have the ability to defend against the suspected Russian threat.
However, during his Wednesday CNN appearance, Panetta added that he was certain the Department of Defense was currently “developing the ability not only to track what the Russians are doing and determine whether or not they’re going to try to deploy something like this but also how they defend against it if it should happen.”
Despite the worry Turner’s statement generated, not everyone deemed the situation an immediate concern.
Representative Jim Himes, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and also scheduled to participate in Thursday’s meeting with President Biden, said that while the issue is a concerning one, it should not elicit serious fear among members of the public.
“The classified intelligence product that the House Intelligence Committee called to the attention of Members last night is a significant one,” Himes said on Wednesday, “but it is not a cause for panic.”
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of The Intelligence Brief at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or Tweet at me @MicahHanks.
Here are the top stories we’re covering right now…
- The U.S. Space Force is Celebrating Valentine’s Day by Launching a Mysterious Classified Mission into Orbit
The U.S. Space Force is celebrating Valentine’s Day by launching a classified national security mission from Cape Canaveral.
- Stunning Images Reveal How Melting Ice is Making Huge Parts of Greenland Live Up To Its Name
As ice sheets and glaciers melt away, huge portions of Greenland are becoming covered in wetlands and vegetation.
- 12,940-Year-Old Rare Artifact is the Oldest of Its Kind Ever Discovered in the Americas
A rare artifact has been discovered at a mammoth kill site in Wyoming, believed to be the oldest of its kind ever found in the Americas.
- U.S. Air Force Prepares to Unleash ‘LITENING’ with Its New Large Aperture Targeting Pod
The U.S. Air Force is gearing up to equip its new LITENING targeting pod with enhanced electro-optical and infrared capabilities.
- Innovative Solar Sail Propulsion System Could Soon Drive Spacecraft for Science Missions, NASA Projects
NASA says it cleared a “key technology milestone” last month that could help move the agency toward future use of solar sail technology.
- That “Death Star Moon” is Fully Operational! This week on The Debrief Weekly Report…
On today’s episode, Kenna and Stephanie explore Saturn’s “Death Star” moon and the recent findings that could hint at what lurks beneath its dark surface. The dynamic duo also dive into the deep sleep science of hibernation and why blueberries are blue. How did we not know this? Turns out, we just figured it out.
- Strategic Anomaly Detection Effort Uses SETI Ellipsoid Technique to Scour the Cosmos for Technosignatures
New research reveals how the SETI Ellipsoid technique could move SETI researchers one step closer to discovering intelligence elsewhere in the cosmos.
- Massive Stone Wall Built More Than 10,000 Years Ago Found Hidden Beneath the Baltic Sea
Researchers have discovered a submerged, 10,000-year-old massive stone wall that is one of the oldest man-made megastructures ever found.
- Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion Technology One Step Closer as Aerospace Company Looks Toward Prototype Tests
Aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney says it is advancing toward ground tests of its new Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion prototype.
- Breaking: Satellite Failure Scuttles First-of-Its-Kind In-Space Test of Physics-Defying Quantum Drive
The cancellation of the first in-space test of a controversial quantum drive has been announced due to an electrical failure on its host satellite.
- NASA Just Tested a New Experimental Hybrid Antenna for Deep Space Laser Communications
NASA says recent tests with an experimental hybrid antenna were successfully able to receive radio frequency and near-infrared laser signals being dispatched from the Psyche spacecraft on its journey into deep space.
- Searching for Space Trash
Humanity’s search for interstellar objects, and what might amount to “space trash”, could extend well beyond Earth and its atmosphere.
- The Sol Foundation, Academia’s New UAP Think Tank, Releases Videos of Lectures from Its Inaugural Symposium
Videos of presentations featured during the Sol Foundation symposium have now been made freely available to the public.
- NASA Needs a “Miracle” to Save Voyager 1
NASA’s Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object in space, is facing a critical situation following a computer glitch that has compromised its ability to transmit essential telemetry data back to Earth.
- At Long Last, Scientists Have Finally Solved the Mystery of Why Blueberries Are Blue. Seriously.
For the first time in human history, we finally have a scientific explanation for why blueberries are blue.
- This is Heavy, Doc: The DeLorean is Back, With an Incredible New Look
DeLorean will unveil the Alpha5 this year, a modern take on the famous gull-wing door automobile depicted in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy.
- Rethinking Human Evolution: New Study Challenges Ideas on Human Innovation and Homo Sapiens’ Leap to Modernity
New stone tool discoveries are reshaping our understanding of Homo sapiens’ gradual evolution into modernity, challenging old beliefs.
- Harvard Reveals Suspended Animation Drug that “Magically” Mimics Hibernation
Harvard researchers have announced the successful test of a seemingly magical ‘suspended animation’ drug that could aid trauma survival and organ transplantation.
- New Energy World Record Achieved in Final Tritium Experiments at UK’s Massive JET Research Facility
A new energy world record has been achieved by the Joint European Torus (JET), the latest milestone in the field of fusion science.
- ‘They Are Rare, and Very Hard to Find.’ NASA’s Roman Telescope Could Solve a Cosmic Mystery by Viewing These Weird Celestial Objects
NASA’s Roman Telescope may soon help unravel one of the greatest mysteries about our universe, with help from a strange cosmic phenomenon.
- Whistleblower Who Exposed Midjourney’s Nude Image Generation Banned From Platform
AI platform Midjourney banned a researcher shortly after he blew the whistle on the platform’s content filters and the nude images the AI was generating.
- Global Conflict From AI? The Startling Decisions AI Makes in Wargame Simulations
This week, we look at the question of whether AI might be able to provoke a global conflict based on recent wargame simulations.
- Plasmas: Life-like Luminous Phenomena?
This week, we examine a new science paper that argues many modern UAP sightings could represent manifestations of plasmas in space and in the atmosphere.
- Saturn’s ‘Death Star’ Moon Mimas is Hiding a Secret Beneath its Icy Shell. Astronomers Now Say It’s ‘a Prime Candidate for Study’
An international research team has announced the discovery of an ocean hidden beneath the surface of Saturn’s “Death Star” moon, Mimas.
- New Study Suggests Octopuses Have Individual Differences When It Comes to Problem Solving
Researchers have discovered that octopuses have individualized differences when solving a task instead of mimicking behaviors from each other.
- Look Who’s Clucking! Canadian Researchers Are Using Cutting-Edge Tech to Decode Chicken Chatter
Researcher from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia say they are using advanced technology to successfully create a Star Trek-style universal chicken translator.
- Forget Smart Watches. Here Come Smart Earrings
University of Washington researchers have developed a prototype pair of smart earrings that can monitor a wide range of bodily functions.