US Space Force confirms weapons deployed in orbit
The disclosure identifies no weapons or operational details, as military activity in space expands among the United States, China and Russia.
The US Space Force has confirmed that the United States has weapons deployed in orbit, describing the disclosure as the first public confirmation of such capabilities.
A Space Force spokesperson said the weapons were intended to defend the Joint Force against hostile action. The statement said space-control capabilities could affect adversary systems through kinetic and non-kinetic means and could be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.
The Space Force did not identify the weapons, or provide details about their number, location or capabilities. The supplied material does not independently establish what the term “deployed in orbit” encompasses.
The disclosure comes as the United States, China and Russia expand military and counterspace capabilities. The Space Force says China is developing counterspace capabilities as part of its military modernisation strategy, while Russia regards space as a warfighting domain.
Satellites underpin military communications, surveillance and navigation. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but does not prohibit all weapons in space. There is no evidence in the supplied material that the weapons have been used.
