The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, with Air Force Secretary Troy Meink saying the systems are intended to defend American forces against hostile actions.
Meink made the disclosure Monday during the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. He did not identify the weapons or say when they were placed in orbit.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said, CNN reported. He added that the United States now has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.”
The acknowledgment comes as the United States, China and Russia continue developing military capabilities intended to operate in or affect space.
Pentagon Withholds Details on Weapons
Meink declined to provide additional information about the systems when asked about them.
The U.S. Space Force has described space control as the use of kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities to affect an adversary’s space systems. Such capabilities can serve both offensive and defensive purposes, according to a Space Force spokesperson cited by The Guardian.
Meink also said on Monday that a U.S. space-based interceptor program had advanced from an initial contract to flight-ready hardware in less than a year.
The Air Force has separately identified the Space-Based Interceptor program as part of its effort to develop new space capabilities.
Richard Palmer, a U.S. Space Command official, described the public acknowledgment as a significant development in the effort to deter hostile actions and protect military and economic interests that depend on space-based infrastructure.
U.S. Points To Growing Space Threats
U.S. officials have increasingly warned that China and Russia are developing capabilities that could threaten American satellites and other space assets.
The Space Force says China is developing space and counterspace capabilities as part of its military modernization efforts, while Russia views space as a potential warfighting domain. The United States has also monitored Russian and Chinese activities involving satellites and other systems that could be used during a conflict.
Satellites support military communications, navigation, intelligence. and other services. Commercial and government systems also rely on satellites for weather forecasting, disaster response and global positioning.
The United States established the Space Force in 2019 as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force as concerns about competition in space increased.
Russia and China Respond
The U.S. announcement drew criticism from both China and Russia.
China’s Foreign Ministry accused Washington of preparing for conflict in outer space and warned against turning space into a battlefield or triggering an arms race there. Russian officials said Moscow supports keeping space free of weapons and called for its demilitarization.
The United States has previously accused both countries of developing counterspace capabilities. Russia has tested an anti-satellite missile, including a 2021 test that destroyed one of its own satellites and created a large amount of orbital debris.
Space experts have warned that military action against satellites could create debris capable of damaging other spacecraft because objects in low Earth orbit travel at thousands of miles per hour.
Treaty Does Not Ban Conventional Weapons
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits countries from placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction into orbit. It does not, however, contain a broad prohibition on conventional weapons in space.
That distinction has left room for countries to develop and deploy certain conventional military capabilities in orbit.
The United States has also been pursuing broader missile-defense and space-defense initiatives. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December directing the government to pursue American superiority in space and develop technologies to counter emerging threats.
Meink’s disclosure provides the clearest public confirmation to date that at least some U.S. weapons are already operating in orbit, although the capabilities, number of systems, and deployment dates remain classified or undisclosed.
