The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons or other offensive and defensive capabilities in orbit, raising fresh concerns about the growing militarisation of space.
The US Space Force said on Monday that “space-control” weapons are already deployed in orbit, but did not disclose their type, number, location or specific capabilities, according to the BBC.
US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, speaking at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, said the United States had space-control capabilities in orbit that could protect joint forces from attacks by adversaries.
He said the systems could employ both “kinetic and non-kinetic” means to influence or counter adversaries, and could be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.
Meink identified China and Russia as the principal threats to US interests in space. He said China was developing space and counterspace capabilities as part of its military modernisation, while Russia viewed space as a potential “war-fighting domain”.
“We continue to make sure that wherever the evolving threat is, we are prepared to counter it,” Meink said, stressing the need for US space-control capabilities to protect American and allied forces.
The announcement comes after an executive order by President Donald Trump that placed greater emphasis on the US Space Force not only protecting American assets but also developing its role as an offensive force.
Trump has previously described space as an increasingly important domain for national defence. In 2019, he referred to space as the next potential “warfighting domain” and called on the Pentagon to prepare for counterspace missions. In 2020, he similarly said space would become important for defence, offensive operations and other military activities.
Treaty restrictions
The development of military capabilities in space is governed in part by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit. However, the treaty does not ban all forms of military activity or conventional weapons in space.
The militarisation of space dates back to the Cold War. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Washington and Moscow began developing ways to protect their own satellites and potentially disable or disrupt those of an adversary.
The US confirmation that weapons are already in orbit marks a significant development in the increasingly contested space domain, where satellites have become critical to communications, navigation, intelligence and military operations.
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