US confirms weapons deployed in orbit, withholding details
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink says the unspecified systems are intended to deter hostile action and protect US military operations in space.
The United States has publicly confirmed that it has deployed unspecified “space control weapons” in orbit, in what Ars Technica described as the first public acknowledgement by the US military of such systems.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the weapons were capable of defending the joint force against hostile action. He did not disclose their capabilities, potential targets, testing history or deployment date.
Meink said the disclosure was intended to support deterrence, while arguing that revealing operational details would not serve that purpose. He said the space environment was critical to military and economic security and that the US needed to operate freely there.
The announcement follows years of US concern about Chinese and Russian counterspace capabilities. Military satellites support communications, navigation, surveillance, targeting and missile warning, increasing the strategic importance of systems operating in orbit.
The term “space control” has a broad military meaning and can cover actions against space systems or related targets on Earth. Analysts cited by Ars Technica speculated that the systems could include orbital jammers or other non-kinetic weapons, but the available information does not establish what has been deployed.
The US Space Force previously acknowledged Meadowlands, a ground-based mobile satellite jammer. No immediate reaction from China or Russia was reported.
