The United States has weapons deployed in orbit, the US Space Force said, publicly confirming the existence of the capabilities for the first time, according to DW. A Space Force spokesperson said the systems are intended to defend the US military against hostile action by adversaries.
The spokesperson did not identify the weapons or provide technical details. The Space Force said “space control” includes efforts to contest and control the space domain through kinetic and non-kinetic measures, which can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.
US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink separately confirmed that the United States has weapons in space while speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, DW reported. The Space Force justified the deployment by pointing to Russia and China, which it described as threats to US interests in space.
According to the statement cited by DW, China develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of its military modernization strategy. It said Russia considers space a warfighting domain and views dominance there as potentially decisive in future conflicts.
China rejected the US position. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun urged Washington to stop expanding its military capabilities and “preparing for war in outer space,” warning that such actions could fuel an arms race.
DW noted that concerns over the militarization of space date back to the beginning of the space age. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty addressed the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, while the United States, Russia, India and China have since explored ways to target or disrupt satellites used for military communications, navigation and surveillance.