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U.S. Space Command will invite commercial space companies to participate in classified wargames focused on national security scenarios for the first time. The initial exercise will address potential responses to the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space, driven by concerns over Russia's plans to position a nuclear weapon in orbit.

Starting in March, the quarterly exercises will include select commercial partners, aiming to leverage their expertise in planning for scenarios involving space-based nuclear threats. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits nuclear weapons in space, yet the development of anti-satellite and other counterspace capabilities continues. U.S. officials have emphasized the need to prepare for the possibility of such threats, as a nuclear detonation in space could severely impact global infrastructure and the economy, despite no current evidence of operational nuclear weapons in space.