US confirms it has deployed weapons in Earth's orbit, Space Force says

The rivalry between superpowers, which has already cost thousands of lives on land, at sea and in the air, has now extended into space. The United States has publicly acknowledged deploying military weapons directly in Earth's orbit. This is being seen as Washington's first public admission regarding its space-based offensive and defensive military capabilities. The move is believed to be aimed at countering the growing aggressive activity of China and Russia in space and their anti-satellite technology. Following the disclosure, global security experts have expressed concern, saying space is no longer just a centre for research but has become a new battleground for future conflict.

Speaking to an audience at a special event on Monday, US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said clearly that the US must remain ready at all times to deal with the extremely challenging and "evolving threats" emerging in space. However, for security reasons, the US declined to disclose confidential details of what kind of lethal weapons it has deployed in orbit, their strike capability, or when they were installed.

The US Space Force, the specialised and advanced branch of the US armed forces, also confirmed in an official statement that these military weapons exist in Earth's orbit. The Space Force has named these weapons "Orbital Space Control Weapons." According to it, this system is fully capable of protecting American military and allied installations from any potential enemy attack.

A senior Space Force spokesperson said the US possesses such orbital space control weapons, which can protect joint forces from enemy attack. Space control includes all the operations needed to challenge and gain complete control of the space domain. Both kinetic and non-kinetic advanced methods are used to directly affect the enemy's military strength. The statement also said this capability can be used for both offensive manoeuvres and defensive protection.

The US did not take the decision to deploy weapons in space suddenly. In recent years, Russia and China have rapidly stepped up research and testing to strengthen their hold on the space domain. Russia and China are developing technology that could disrupt, completely disable or destroy with missiles America's communication, GPS and intelligence satellites. This has long been a worry for the US military. Today, military movement, missile guidance and digital networks are entirely dependent on satellites. So if an enemy disabled the satellite system, the entire country could be left helpless. Anticipating this threat, the US has chosen the aggressive path of deploying weapons directly in space to maintain its dominance there.

Following this historic and aggressive disclosure by the US, concern has spread around the world. Since the US has officially admitted to deploying weapons, it is clear that rival superpowers such as China and Russia will not stay silent either. This has raised fears of a new and extremely dangerous arms race beginning in space in the coming period. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty called for space to be used only for peaceful purposes, but these new steps by the superpowers have put that peace at risk, and it appears that future military conflict will not be confined to land but will be fought directly in Earth's orbit.