US CONFIRMS WEAPONS DEPLOYED IN SPACE FOR FIRST TIME

Tue 15 September 2026:

Space Force says orbital weapons can be used for offensive and defensive missions amid growing US rivalry with China and Russia

The United States has acknowledged for the first time that it has weapons deployed in orbit, with the US Space Force confirming that Washington possesses space-based capabilities designed to counter hostile actions.

“The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” a US Space Force spokesperson said Monday, without disclosing details about the systems.

The Space Force described these capabilities as part of its broader effort to establish control over the space domain.

“Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain — employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities,” the statement said, adding that “these capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes.”

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US, China and Russia Expand Space Competition

The disclosure comes as space increasingly becomes a strategic arena for military competition between the United States, China and Russia.

According to the US Space Force, China “develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy,” while Russia “views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”

Military satellites are critical to modern warfare, providing secure communications, navigation, intelligence, missile-warning capabilities and surveillance. Disabling or disrupting those systems could therefore affect operations on Earth.

The growing competition has also raised concerns about the development of anti-satellite weapons, electronic warfare systems, cyber capabilities and other technologies capable of interfering with or destroying spacecraft.

Space Militarization Dates Back to Cold War

The military competition in space is almost as old as the space age itself. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into orbit in 1957, the United States and Moscow began investigating technologies that could protect their own satellites while potentially targeting those of an adversary.

During the Cold War, one of the biggest fears was the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. The United States, Soviet Union and other nations subsequently signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, which prohibits placing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

However, the treaty does not prohibit all military activities or conventional weapons in space, leaving room for countries to develop and deploy other forms of counterspace technology.

Satellites Become Key Targets

In the decades since the treaty was signed, the United States, Russia, China and India have developed or tested technologies capable of threatening satellites.

These capabilities can include systems designed to physically destroy spacecraft, as well as non-kinetic methods such as jamming, cyberattacks and other forms of electronic interference.

The US confirmation that it has on-orbit space control weapons highlights how the military role of space has evolved from Cold War competition into a central component of modern defense planning.

As dependence on satellites continues to grow, governments increasingly view the ability to protect their own space assets — and potentially disrupt an adversary’s — as an important factor in future conflicts.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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