The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has operational weapons deployed in orbit, prompting warnings from China that the move could accelerate the militarisation of outer space and trigger a new arms race among major powers. The disclosure by Washington comes amid growing competition between the United States, China and Russia over military capabilities in space, where satellites have become increasingly important to communications, navigation, intelligence and battlefield operations.
US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the disclosure while speaking at the annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference on September 14. He said the United States now possesses “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending American military forces against hostile actions by adversaries. The statement represented a significant public acknowledgment by Washington, although Meink did not provide details about the systems, their capabilities or when they were placed in orbit.
US Space Force chief Gen Douglas Schiess subsequently confirmed that American military personnel operate weapons in orbit that can be used to defend the Joint Force against space-enabled attacks. Both officials stopped short of identifying the specific systems involved. A Space Force spokesperson indicated that space-control capabilities could include both kinetic and non-kinetic methods designed to affect an adversary’s space assets. Such capabilities can potentially have defensive as well as offensive applications.
The lack of information has left unanswered questions about exactly what Washington has deployed. Potential counter-space technologies include systems capable of interfering with satellite communications, electronic warfare capabilities, cyber tools and technologies that could physically affect spacecraft. However, US officials have not confirmed which of these capabilities are currently operating in orbit. Meink has also declined to disclose whether the weapons have been tested, what they have been tested against or when they became operational.
Washington has defended the need for such capabilities by pointing to the growing importance of space to national security. Modern military operations rely heavily on satellites for secure communications, navigation, surveillance and intelligence. US officials have repeatedly warned that adversaries are developing capabilities that could disrupt or disable American space-based systems during a conflict.
The announcement, however, immediately drew criticism from Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China supports the peaceful use of outer space and opposes an arms race or attempts to turn space into a battlefield. Beijing urged Washington to stop expanding its military capabilities in outer space and take steps to safeguard global strategic stability.
China’s concern is linked to the possibility that the US deployment could encourage other countries to develop or deploy comparable systems. Chinese military analysts have argued that openly acknowledging weapons in orbit could mark a shift towards placing more direct counter-space capabilities in space rather than relying primarily on systems based on Earth. Chinese state media has warned that the development could create a security dilemma in which each country’s attempts to protect its satellites are interpreted by rivals as preparations for offensive action.
Russia has also objected to the development. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow believes space should remain free of weapons and called for international efforts towards the demilitarisation of outer space. The responses from Beijing and Moscow reflect broader concerns about the consequences of placing weapons directly in orbit at a time when the world’s major space powers are already developing technologies designed to interfere with or disable satellites.
The United States, China and Russia have for years been developing counter-space technologies. China demonstrated in 2022 that it could manoeuvre one satellite to grapple with another spacecraft, while the US has conducted increasingly complex military exercises involving satellites operating in multiple orbits. Such developments have raised concerns among analysts about the possibility of future conflicts extending beyond Earth.
At the same time, the legal framework governing military activity in space remains incomplete. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits placing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but it does not impose a blanket ban on all conventional weapons in space. As a result, the precise nature and intended use of the American systems will be important in assessing their legal and strategic implications.
The latest US disclosure therefore carries significance beyond the weapons themselves. By publicly confirming that operational space-control weapons are already in orbit, Washington has acknowledged that space is being treated as an active military domain. At the same time, its decision to withhold details leaves rival countries to assess the capabilities for themselves, potentially increasing uncertainty.
Experts have warned that uncertainty can itself contribute to an arms race if countries assume that another power possesses capabilities capable of threatening their satellites. As the US, China and Russia continue expanding their space programmes, the central challenge will be preventing competition over military space capabilities from developing into a cycle in which defensive measures by one country lead others to expand their own counter-space arsenals.
