US Confirms On-Orbit Weapons, Marking New Phase in Space Rivalry

Senior United States military-space officials have publicly acknowledged that the Pentagon operates weapons in Earth's orbit, a disclosure described by analysts as a significant moment in the intensifying competition among the world's leading space powers.

Speaking at a conference near Washington on Tuesday, US Space Force chief Douglas Schiess said enlisted personnel in his branch "operate on-orbit weapons that can defend the Joint Force against space-enabled attacks." He said the service would make "disciplined and responsible choices" as it expands its orbital defence arsenal in the years ahead.

His remarks followed a statement a day earlier by US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who said the country "has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action." That was the most explicit confirmation yet by a Pentagon official of US weapons in orbit.

Neither Schiess nor Meink specified the types of weapons involved when questioned by reporters.

Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the nonprofit Secure World Foundation, said the statements reflect a growing willingness in Washington to discuss military activity in space. She noted that the discourse had shifted from avoiding the topic of counter-space capabilities to openly acknowledging the presence of weapons in orbit.

Richard Palmer, director of the Capability and Resource Integration Directorate at US Space Command, told a space defence conference in Paris that acknowledging such capabilities was essential to preventing deterrence from failing and to ensuring they could be employed effectively if needed. He said some actors were seeking to undermine the collective interests of the United States, its allies and Europe, but declined to discuss the nature or capability of the weapons.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded on X, saying Beijing supports the peaceful use of outer space and opposes any arms race there or attempts to turn it into a warzone. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the acknowledgement that Washington had deployed orbital weapons ignored the possible consequences of a conflict and threatened long-term stability in space-based activity.

The United States, China and Russia have for years raced to build and deploy satellite networks and manoeuvrable spacecraft with capabilities that could be used to attack or interfere with other spacecraft. However, no nation is known to have physically attacked another's satellite in orbit, as military norms, strategic precedent and the laws of war in space remain underdeveloped.

Satellites have long provided communications, navigation and intelligence support to armed forces, and were once placed in fixed orbital paths. Militaries increasingly view them as active platforms capable of disrupting operations through signal jamming, using lasers to blind sensors, or capturing enemy spacecraft. China demonstrated in 2022 that it could command a satellite to grapple onto another spacecraft and move it in orbit.

The US recently conducted its largest orbital exercise, called Apollo Maneuvers, involving satellites in multiple orbits simultaneously along with international and commercial partners.

Craig Albert, graduate director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies at Augusta University, said US officials have still not openly discussed the specific weapons, leaving room for assumptions that could shape adversary responses and risk accelerating an arms race. The head of US Space Command has warned that adversaries are developing capabilities to deny the United States access to key systems and would likely target US space assets early in a conflict.

Other countries are also pursuing counter-space capabilities. Germany has a €35-billion military space spending plan aimed at countering growing threats from adversaries.