WASHINGTON — Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly acknowledged for the first time that the United States has deployed offensive weapons in orbit, confirming that the Space Force has “space control weapons” capable of defending against hostile adversaries.
Meink made the announcement during a keynote address at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Maryland, on Monday. He said the US now has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary actions.”
“It is critically important that we maintain our dominance, not only in the air but in space,” Meink said, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. He added that if threatened, “we can take of that.”
The acknowledgment marks the first time the US military has publicly stated it has deployed weapons in space. The specific systems and their deployment timeline were not disclosed.
A Space Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the US “currently has on-orbit capabilities to meet the needs of the Joint Force.” The spokesperson did not provide specifics but said space control “encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain — employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities through disruption, degradation and even destruction, if necessary.”
The Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967, bars the deployment of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear missiles into orbit. The Space Force’s statement said military operations in space are in compliance with the treaty.
Meink’s remarks follow months of discussion about the Space Force building out its offensive capabilities in space.
“This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary actions,” Meink said during his speech.
The Space Force’s statement to Task & Purpose echoed Meink’s remarks, confirming the on-orbit capabilities without detailing their nature or purpose.
Sources: DVIDS News · Task & Purpose