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The United States has deployed weapons into Earth orbit capable of protecting military forces from potential hostile attacks, US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said.
Meink made the statement at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland. He said the United States must remain prepared to respond to threats emerging in space.
“The United States currently has counterspace weapons in orbit that enable us to protect joint forces from hostile activities by an adversary,” Meink said.
The US official declined to provide further details about the systems’ capabilities, when the weapons were deployed or which orbits they occupy. The statement is being viewed as Washington’s first explicit confirmation that it possesses such capabilities.
The announcement came as the United States strengthens its military capabilities in space and concerns grow over Russia’s and China’s counterspace programs. The US Space Force says China is developing and operating space and counterspace capabilities as part of its military modernization.
According to US officials, Russia also regards space as a potential battlefield and considers control of the domain an important factor in future conflicts.
Satellites play a key role in modern military operations, supporting communications, navigation, intelligence and target identification. A conflict in orbit could also disrupt civilian systems that depend on satellite infrastructure.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit. However, the treaty does not explicitly prohibit the deployment of conventional weapons in space.
US President Donald Trump has declared space security a priority and established the US Space Force in 2019 as a new military branch within the Department of the Air Force.
In December 2025, Trump signed an executive order aimed at ensuring US superiority in space and developing next-generation missile defense technologies. Meink also said the US space-based interceptor program had moved from the initial contracting phase to flight-ready equipment in less than a year. He provided no further details.
