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The U.S. military has for the first time acknowledged that it deployed space weapons into Earth\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n
U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who oversees the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, said in a speech Monday<\/a> that the military has \u201con-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.\u201d<\/p>\n Meink did not say what the weapons are, what they do, or how many of them have been deployed, but his phrasing was reportedly<\/a> intentional and \u201cvery well thought out.\u201d <\/p>\n When reached about the disclosure, an Air Force spokesperson told TechCrunch that the weapons are designed to defend the U.S. military \u201cagainst space-enabled attack.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the threats that the Air Force was responding to by launching the weapon, the spokesperson said that the U.S. had been warning about Russian and Chinese weapons testing in space since 2007.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to their actions, it is no longer a question that space is a warfighting domain. Space control is part of how the Joint Force protects national security interests,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThe space domain is contested, and we must be able to secure our nation\u2019s interests in space \u2014 that is why the Space Force was established as the 6th military service.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cOpen communication strengthens deterrence, prevents adversary miscalculation, and normalizes space operations alongside the other services,\u201d the spokesperson told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n The deployment comes as China is long known<\/a> to have operated spacecraft capable of causing damage to other satellites. The U.S. Space Force says<\/a> Russia is currently developing a satellite \u201cdesigned to carry a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n According to The Times, the U.S. had long disavowed<\/a> the destruction of satellites in space, as attacks can leave debris that is harmful to other space objects and astronauts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n