US has publicly confirmed for first time that it has deployed weapons in space
The United States has deployed weapons in space and will use them to protect American troops.
This was stated by US Air Force Secretary Troy Maink at the Air, Space & Cyber conference in Maryland, as quoted by CNN, reports Censor.NET.
US Defence
This is the first public acknowledgement by the US of the existence of such capabilities in orbit and a clear message to those who pose a potential threat in this area. However, Maink did not specify exactly which weapons had been deployed in orbit or when.
"Today, we continue to ensure our readiness to counter the challenges posed by new threats, wherever they may arise. That is why the United States now has space-based weapons in orbit capable of protecting our combined forces from hostile actions by the enemy", said Maink at the ‘Air, Space and Cyber Conference’ – an annual event organised by the Air and Space Forces Association in National Harbor, Maryland.
The US Space Force has stated that this is a ‘space control weapon’ that can be used for both defensive and offensive purposes. It can employ kinetic and non-kinetic means to impair an adversary’s capabilities.
Russia and China are the US’s main rivals
It is not yet clear whether these systems are capable of physically destroying satellites. Possible means of space warfare include jamming, cyber-capabilities, lasers or other systems that can disable an enemy’s satellites without physically destroying them.
- The US regards China and Russia as its main rivals in space: both countries are developing systems capable of countering satellites and other space infrastructure.
"China is developing and utilising space and anti-space capabilities as part of its military modernisation strategy, whilst Russia regards space as a theatre of operations and believes that superiority in space will be a decisive factor in future conflicts", the US Space Force notes.
