Got Paper Maps? Putin Could Attack Our GPS

You’ve heard, no doubt, that Vladimir Putin threatened to nuke anyone who “interferes” with his rape of Ukraine. But did you know that he threatened to destroy America’s entire fleet of GPS satellites back on November 15, 2021?

Major media quickly moved on from that threat, which is arguably the more credible one.

Nobody knows whether Putin is willing to unleash nuclear Armageddon if he cannot achieve his dreams for Russian empire. Mutual assured destruction (MAD), the crazy calculus of the atomic age that makes launching nukes “unthinkable,” should dissuade him if he’s still sane. If he isn’t, hopefully saner Russian heads among his military will prevail.

Attacking our GPS satellites, on the other hand, is not only thinkable but doable. And certain factors increase its appeal and likelihood. Below are the reasons I’m worried Putin might make good on his threat.

Means

Does Russia possess the capability to destroy our GPS satellites? The answer appears to be yes. A high-profile demonstration preceded the verbal threat. Russia fired an anti-satellite missile into low earth orbit (a zone roughly 100 miles up to 1,250 miles) and destroyed one of their own retired satellites.

This “successful” test created 1,500 new pieces of trackable orbital debris. (China conducted a similar test in 2007, producing 3,500 pieces of debris and worldwide scorn.) The new space junk joins 27,000 objects the size of a softball or…