The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has placed weapons systems in near-Earth orbit. U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink made the statement on September 14 at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
According to Meink, the systems are orbital space-control weapons intended to protect American forces from actions by a potential adversary. “Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” he said.
The secretary did not specify what kind of weapons are in orbit, how many such systems have been deployed, or when they were launched. He also declined to say whether they had been tested. Meink later emphasized that the wording of the statement had been “very well thought out.”
This is the first direct public acknowledgment by a senior Pentagon official that the United States has weapons in space. Previously, American officials had avoided such language, citing national security concerns. Experts note that the systems could be either kinetic or non-kinetic (for example, electronic warfare capabilities), but the details remain classified.
The announcement came amid the accelerated development of U.S. space programs, including elements of missile defense. Meink also stressed the importance of maintaining American superiority not only in the air but in space as well.
