The United States has acknowledged for the first time that the Pentagon is operating weapons in Earth’s orbit, marking a significant development in the militarisation of space as Washington seeks to deter what its officials describe as increasingly aggressive activities by China and Russia.
US Space Force chief Douglas Schiess said on Tuesday that members of the military branch operate “on-orbit weapons” capable of defending US forces against space-enabled attacks.
He said the Space Force would make “disciplined and responsible choices” as it expands its orbital defence capabilities in the coming years.
Schiess’ remarks came a day after US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the US had “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending its forces against hostile actions by adversaries.
The comments represented the clearest acknowledgement yet from senior Pentagon officials that the US has weapons in orbit, amid growing tensions among the world’s three leading space powers — the US, China and Russia.
Neither Schiess nor Meink disclosed what types of weapons they were referring to.
Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, said the remarks reflected the US government’s growing willingness to publicly discuss offensive and defensive capabilities in space.
“We’ve gone from not talking about counter-space capabilities… to now saying flat-out we have weapons in space,” she said.
China responded by reaffirming its opposition to the weaponisation of space. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing supports the peaceful use of outer space and opposes an arms race or attempts to turn space into a battlefield.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the US acknowledgement failed to address the potential consequences of an armed conflict in space and could threaten the long-term stability of space-based activities.
Conflicts Could Extend Into Space
The US, China and Russia have spent years developing satellite networks and manoeuvrable spacecraft with capabilities that could potentially be used to interfere with or attack other spacecraft.
However, despite the rapid development of military space technology, no country is known to have physically attacked another nation’s satellite while in orbit.
The latest US statements nevertheless highlight how preparations for a potential conflict in space are becoming increasingly open, particularly as satellites play an expanding role in modern warfare on Earth.
Richard Palmer, director of the Capability and Resource Integration Directorate at US Space Command, said acknowledging space-control capabilities was important for maintaining deterrence and ensuring the US and its allies were prepared should deterrence fail.
“The bottom line is that our joint force and our allied forces require space. Our economies require space,” Palmer said, adding that the US was prepared to preserve access to space.
Preparing For War In Space
Satellites have long provided military forces with communications, navigation and intelligence capabilities. But militaries are increasingly viewing spacecraft as platforms that can actively disrupt or interfere with other satellites.
Potential counter-space capabilities include signal jamming, lasers capable of blinding sensors and spacecraft designed to capture or manoeuvre other satellites.
China demonstrated in 2022 that it could command one satellite to grapple with another spacecraft and move it in orbit.
The US has also conducted its largest orbital exercise, known as Apollo Maneuvers, involving satellites operating across multiple orbits as well as international and commercial partners.
Despite the growing demonstrations of space capabilities, US officials have not publicly disclosed details of the weapons mentioned this week.
Craig Albert, graduate director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies at Augusta University, warned that the lack of information could lead rival countries to assume the systems pose a threat to their own satellites and respond by developing additional counter-space capabilities.
The head of US Space Command has also warned that adversaries are developing systems designed to deny the US access to critical space capabilities and could seek to target American space assets early in a conflict.
Other countries are also developing counter-space capabilities. Germany, for example, has announced a €35 billion (US$40 billion) military space spending plan aimed at addressing what it considers growing threats from adversaries.
