U.S. Admits It Has Weapons In Orbit

U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed on September 14 that the United States has deployed on-orbit space-control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile action. The Space Force said space control can involve kinetic or non-kinetic effects used to disrupt, degrade or destroy adversary capabilities, but it declined to identify payloads, technical characteristics, testing or employment methods. The disclosure marks the first explicit official acknowledgement that U.S. weapons are already in orbit, while officials stressed that any operations would comply with international law, including the Outer Space Treaty.