US military deploys weapons in space thousands of kilometres above Earth that can strike with brute force

The United States has acknowledged that it has deployed weapons in orbit that can be used to defend American military forces against hostile action in space. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the disclosure on Monday during the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

“Today we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink told the annual event hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”

Meink did not identify the weapons, explain what they are capable of targeting or say when they were placed in orbit. He also declined to provide further details when asked about the systems.


Also Read: DRDO develops GaN chip: Meet Dr Meena Mishra, scientist behind the technology that was denied by other countries and why it matters for Indian defence platforms

US confirms orbital weapons but keeps capabilities classified

A US Space Force spokesperson separately confirmed the existence of the capabilities but offered no information about their specific design or deployment.

“The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” the spokesperson said.

The Space Force described space control as involving efforts to contest and control activities in the space domain through both kinetic and non-kinetic means.

“Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain -- employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities,” the statement said. It added that such capabilities “can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes.”

The acknowledgment marks a public disclosure of an element of the US military’s space capabilities that officials had previously not described in such direct terms.

What the Outer Space Treaty allows and bans

The deployment of military capabilities in space is not new. The US and Soviet Union began exploring military uses of space soon after Sputnik was launched in 1957.

One of the principal concerns during the early space race was the possibility of nuclear weapons being placed in orbit. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty subsequently prohibited countries from placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit around Earth.

The treaty did not prohibit every form of military activity in space, however. Governments have continued to develop technologies intended to protect satellites, disrupt opposing systems and interfere with space-based military capabilities.

The US, Russia, China and India have all developed or pursued various space and counterspace capabilities, including systems intended to affect satellites and other space-based assets.

Also Read: Defence sector cornerstone of 2047 vision of self-reliant, strategically secure India: Rajnath Singh

China and Russia remain key US space rivals

Washington views China and Russia as major potential challenges to its military interests in space.

The US Space Force says China “develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy.”

The service also says Russia “views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”

Those assessments form part of the broader US effort to strengthen its ability to operate in an increasingly contested space environment.

Space Force has become central to US defence strategy

President Donald Trump established the US Space Force in 2019 as part of the Department of the Air Force, with the service tasked with organising and conducting military operations in the space domain.

The force has since focused on protecting US and allied space-based systems while developing capabilities to respond to threats against satellites and other assets that support communications, navigation and surveillance.

Meink’s remarks indicate that the US now considers at least some of those capabilities to include weapons physically deployed in orbit. However, the administration has not publicly revealed what those weapons are, when they were launched or how they would be used in an actual conflict.