The United States has acknowledged for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, saying the systems are already in orbit and ready to defend US and allied forces against hostile actions.
US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink made the disclosure Monday at a conference, saying Washington was prepared to respond to emerging threats “wherever they may be.”
“That is why the United States has already placed space-control weapons in orbit that are capable of defending our joint forces against hostile actions,” Meink said.
Meink did not provide details about the systems, including what weapons are involved or when and how they were deployed. His remarks nevertheless carry significant political implications, marking the first explicit US acknowledgment that it has orbital weapons designed to counter potential threats from countries such as China and Russia.
China and Russia demand an end to militarisation
Beijing reacted sharply to the announcement. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called on Washington to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for warfare in space.
“We urge the United States to stop the expansion of military capabilities and preparations for war in space,” Guo said.
The Kremlin took a similar position. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hoped for broad international support for efforts to achieve the “complete demilitarisation” of space.
The US Space Force has previously identified both China and Russia as major competitors in space. According to the service, China is developing space capabilities as part of its military modernisation strategy, while Russia considers space superiority a potentially decisive factor in future conflicts.
What kind of weapons are in orbit?
The concept of space warfare predates both Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan. In 1983, Reagan launched the Strategic Defense Initiative, an ambitious programme intended to protect the United States from nuclear attacks.
The legal framework governing military activity in space dates back even further. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits countries from placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit. However, the treaty does not explicitly prohibit conventional weapons or other military systems.
Rapid advances in satellite technology, increasingly combined with artificial intelligence, have since opened the door to new forms of space-based military capabilities. The United States, and potentially Russia and China, have developed systems whose precise capabilities remain largely classified.
Trump announced the creation of the US Space Command during his first presidency in 2018. It was followed in 2019 by the establishment of the US Space Force, replacing an earlier space-related military organ
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