The United States has publicly acknowledged deploying a space weapon in Earth’s orbit for the first time, according to US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, who announced the capability at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday.
Meink stated the weapon was necessary to safeguard US forces against hostile enemy action and evolving threats, but declined to provide specifics about its capabilities or deployment timeline.
The exact nature of the weapon remains unclear. According to a US Space Force spokesperson, space control capabilities can employ both “kinetic and non-kinetic means” to affect adversary capabilities through disruption, degradation, and destruction if necessary. Dr Bleddyn Bowen from the Royal United Services Institute told the BBC that precious little is publicly known about the technology, and suggested it could range from electronic warfare or radio jamming platforms to kinetic kill vehicles designed to destroy satellites. Bowen noted that physically destructive tools would create significant debris, making electronic warfare a more likely option.
The deployment reflects escalating military competition in space. Senior military leaders have previously stated plans to boost space capabilities in response to Russian and Chinese programmes developing ways to attack and disrupt US satellites. In 2024, the US said Russia had launched a satellite possibly capable of attacking other probes. Last year, it was revealed that Russian satellites had likely intercepted communications from European satellites since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Trump administration has designated space-based capabilities as crucial to its planned “Golden Dome” defence system to protect against missiles and airborne threats. Last year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order emphasizing the US Space Force’s role not only in defending space assets but also as an attacking force.
China responded to the US announcement by warning against an “arms race” in space, urging the US to “stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” according to a foreign ministry spokesman quoted by AFP.
A 1967 treaty banned weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but key powers including the US, Russia, and China have since explored other capabilities outside the treaty’s scope, such as targeting satellites critical for military communications, surveillance, and navigation. The US Space Force, established in 2019 as the first new military branch in over 70 years, was created to protect American space assets, including hundreds of satellites.
Key facts
- The US Air Force Secretary confirmed deployment of an offensive space weapon, the first public acknowledgment of such capabilities
- The weapon’s specific capabilities and deployment date have not been disclosed
- Experts suggest it could be electronic warfare, radio jamming, or potentially a kinetic kill vehicle
- Russia and China have been developing counterspace capabilities, prompting the US response
- A 1967 treaty bans weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but other weapons systems remain permissible