US Confirms Deployment Of Weapons In Space, Drawing Strong Reactions From China And Russia
Mian Nadeem
Published September 16, 2026 | 07:51 PM
The United States has officially confirmed for the first time that it possesses space weapons deployed in Earth’s orbit, although US officials did not disclose details about their nature, number or deployment locations.
US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland, stated that the US Space Force has space control weapons orbiting the planet that could be used to defend US forces against potential hostile actions. According to US officials, these capabilities may encompass various kinetic and non-kinetic means intended to disrupt or restrict an adversary’s space systems.
However, Washington has not clarified what specific technology is employed in the weapons deployed in orbit. The US maintains that, given Russia and China's expanding space capabilities, safeguarding American satellites and other space assets is paramount to national security. Modern military systems heavily rely on satellites for communications, surveillance, navigation, and intelligence gathering.
China expressed concern over the US announcement, calling for avoiding the transformation of space into an arena for an arms race. Chinese officials argued that heightened military activity in space could destabilize global strategic equilibrium. Similarly, Russia emphasized the need to prevent an arms race in space and advocated for international measures to alleviate military tensions in this domain.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in Earth’s orbit. However, it does not completely ban all types of conventional or anti-satellite capabilities. Following the US confirmation, global attention is focused on understanding the nature of Washington's space control weapons and whether competition in space military capabilities among the United States, China, and Russia will intensify further in the coming days.