US confirms it has weapons in space

The United States has confirmed it possesses weapons stationed in space, the US Space Force announced. For the first time, the military branch disclosed the existence of on-orbit space control weapons designed to safeguard joint forces from hostile actions. The specifics of these weapons were not disclosed in the press release. Space control encompasses various mission areas aimed at contesting and controlling the space domain, employing both kinetic and non-kinetic means to influence adversary capabilities.

These capabilities can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes. US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink also confirmed the presence of US weapons in space during a recent speech at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference. The Space Force justified the deployment of these weapons, citing the potential threats posed by two major geopolitical rivals: Russia and China.

Both countries are actively developing and operating space and counterspace capabilities as part of their military modernization strategies. Russia views space as a warfighting domain and believes that establishing supremacy in this domain will be crucial in future conflicts. China, on the other hand, has been developing and operating space-related capabilities to counter US interests.

In response to the US deployment of space weapons, China urged Washington to cease preparing for potential conflicts in outer space. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun warned against an arms race in space, emphasizing the need to avoid militarizing outer space. The issue of militarizing space has been a concern since the early days of the space race in 1967, when the world's largest superpowers and other nations signed the Outer Space Treaty.

This treaty aimed to address the primary concern of deploying nuclear weapons in space. However, since then, Russia, the US, India, and China have been exploring ways to engage in space-based warfare outside the provisions of the treaty. This includes targeting each other's satellites, which are critical for military communication, navigation, and surveillance.