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United States Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said on 14 September 2026 that the Space Force now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.
He spoke at the Air & Space Forces Association's 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Maryland, and said the wording had been 'very well thought out'.
It is the first direct public acknowledgement by a United States official that weapons are deployed in orbit; Meink did not give the type, number or launch dates.
Space control covers both kinetic and non-kinetic means - from jamming and electronic attack to physically striking a spacecraft - to protect friendly assets and deny an adversary the use of space.
The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 bars nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction from orbit but does not prohibit conventional weapons in space.
The foundational treaty on outer space. Article IV bars placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in Earth orbit, on celestial bodies or in outer space, and reserves the Moon and other celestial bodies exclusively for peaceful purposes. It does NOT ban conventional weapons in orbit - the gap that makes an acknowledgement of this kind lawful.
Space is free for exploration and use by all states and is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty.
Makes a launching state liable for damage caused by its space objects - relevant to debris created by any kinetic action in orbit.
Requires states to register objects launched into outer space with the United Nations, which is why non-disclosure of type and number is significant.
Established in 2019 as the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces; organises, trains and equips forces for the space domain
Services the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and maintains the register of objects launched into outer space
India destroyed a satellite in low Earth orbit with a DRDO-developed anti-satellite missile, becoming the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to demonstrate an ASAT capability. India chose a low altitude specifically to limit debris.
A tri-service agency set up in 2019 and based at Bengaluru to handle the military's space assets and warfighting requirements, supported by the Defence Space Research Agency.
ISRO's space situational awareness project to track debris and objects that could threaten Indian satellites - the surveillance side of space security.
India is a party to the Outer Space Treaty and has consistently opposed the weaponisation of outer space at the United Nations while supporting the peaceful use of space.
GS Paper III > Science and Technology and Security > Space and militarisation; GS Paper II > International treaties
General Awareness > Defence and strategic affairs
General Awareness > Current Affairs > International defence developments
Military operations to protect one's own use of space and deny an adversary the use of theirs, by kinetic or non-kinetic means.
Systems designed to disrupt, degrade or destroy satellites and other space assets, including ASAT missiles, jammers, lasers and co-orbital satellites.
Militarisation is the use of space assets to support military operations, such as navigation and reconnaissance; weaponisation is placing weapons in space or using space for strike.
Kinetic means physical destruction or impact; non-kinetic means jamming, spoofing, cyber or directed-energy effects that leave no debris.