United States acknowledges deployment of orbital space control weapons

The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has space control weapons deployed in Earth's orbit. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed the existence of these systems during the Air, Space and Cyber conference, stating they are capable of defending military forces against hostile actions.

While specific details regarding the quantity, type, or deployment timing of these systems were not disclosed, the U.S. Space Force defined space control as including both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities. These tools are designed to interrupt, degrade, or destroy adversary systems and can be used for either offensive or defensive purposes depending on military commands.

Additionally, Meink reported progress on the ‘Golden Dome’ initiative, a multi-layered missile defense project. He noted that space-based interceptors have moved past the contractual stage and have hardware ready for flight within a year. The U.S. is also preparing to launch a satellite constellation intended to detect and track mobile targets from space. These developments occur amid rising strategic competition in space involving China and Russia.