US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated that these weapons are necessary to protect American forces from "evolving threats."
The US has for the first time admitted to deploying offensive weapons in near-Earth orbit. Speaking on Monday at the Air, Space, and Cyber Warfare Conference, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated that these weapons are necessary to protect American forces from "evolving threats." He did not specify the capabilities of these weapons or when exactly they were launched into orbit, writes the BBC.
Until now, American officials had only stated their intentions to enhance military capabilities in space, citing Russian and Chinese programs aimed at attacking and disrupting American satellites in the event of a military conflict.
The Trump administration mentioned that the planned "Golden Dome" system for intercepting missiles and other targets threatening US territory would include a space component, including interceptor missiles.
In 1967, the USSR and the US signed a treaty prohibiting the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space — the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. It is open for signature by other countries.
However, the treaty does not cover conventional weapons, and in recent years, Russia, China, and the US have been developing various means to attack enemy satellites. Such satellites are essential for communication, reconnaissance, and navigation.
In 2019, the US created a new branch of the armed forces for the first time in 70 years — the Space Force. Last year, President Donald Trump issued an order stating that the Space Force has not only defensive but also offensive tasks.
A Space Force spokesperson explained that they have "kinetic and non-kinetic means" for these purposes.
In early February, it became known that two Russian satellites, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, had, with high probability, intercepted signals from at least 12 European spacecraft. The intercepted signals could have been accessible to Russian intelligence, and hypothetically, there was also a risk of taking control of the satellites.
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