The United States possesses an orbiting space control weapon. This was stated by US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, according to Defense One. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The statement was made on September 14 during the Air, Space & Cyber conference in Maryland. As DefenseScoop notes, this is the first time a Pentagon official has publicly confirmed that the US has a weapon deployed directly in space.
"Today we continue to ensure readiness for evolving threats, wherever they may arise. That is why the United States now has an orbiting space control weapon capable of protecting joint forces from hostile actions by an adversary," Meink said.
The secretary did not specify which systems are involved, how many are in space, or what capabilities they possess. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, after the speech Meink emphasized that the wording was intentional and "very well thought out."
The statement alarmed experts. Victoria Samson, director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, suggested that Washington's admission could prompt China and Russia to openly discuss their own space weapons.
In her view, the matter most likely does not concern kinetic systems capable of physically destroying satellites and creating space debris. The expert suggested that the US may have placed electronic warfare and signal suppression assets in orbit.
Meink also reported that in September, prototypes of a satellite system for detecting moving air targets are planned to be launched into orbit. In addition, space interceptors being developed for the American missile defense system Golden Dome have already reached flight-ready status.