US Confirms Deployment of Space-Based Weapons for First Time

The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has placed weapons in space, with a senior Air Force official confirming the deployment of systems designed to protect American forces from hostile action.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said on Monday that the service has fielded "on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action." He was speaking at the Air and Space Cyber Conference in Maryland.

Meink did not provide details about the nature of the weapons or how they operate.

The disclosure comes amid persistent concerns in Washington about the space capabilities of Russia and China. In 2024, the United States said Russia was developing a new anti-satellite weapon that could be launched from space, though the White House said at the time that the threat was not imminent.

Those reports reflected broader, long-standing worries about the vulnerability of US infrastructure, much of which relies on satellite communications.

In his remarks, Meink also outlined wider changes planned for the Air Force. He said the service is adding more autonomous systems to its capabilities and predicted it would look "radically different" by 2032. As an example, he said one-way attack drones could replace artillery as the "primary killer."

"We are increasing readiness against existing threats," he said.

The Space Force was established in 2019 under then-President Donald Trump.