Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink confirmed on Monday that the United States has stationed weapons in Earth’s orbit, marking the first public acknowledgment of American on-orbit space control weapons by a Pentagon official. He spoke at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, stating the weapons are capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action, though he did not disclose their type or deployment timeline.

Meink emphasized increasing readiness against existing threats from Russia and China, whose space advancements the Pentagon views as potential risks to U.S. satellites and ground forces. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded by urging the U.S. to halt military expansion in outer space and avoid an arms race. The confirmation follows prior concerns about Russian nuclear space weapons and Trump-era initiatives like the Golden Dome project, led by Gen.

Michael Guetlein, aimed at countering hypersonic missiles. Past officials, including Frank Kendall and Gen. Chance Saltzman, have supported developing low-debris space weapons, noting space as a domain requiring military competitiveness.

The U.S., Russia, and China have tested satellite-destroying weapons for decades, though the U.S. previously disavowed such systems due to debris risks. Siyi Zhao contributed research, and Francesca Regalado reported the story for The New York Times.