Air Force Secretary Troy Meink frankly admitted yesterday that the U.S. has weapons in orbit. “Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said during his Monday morning speech at the Air, Space, Cyber conference which convened yesterday at National Harbor in Maryland, reported Defense One. “This is why the United States now has, on orbit, space-control weapons, capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversaries.”
Defense experts were reportedly shocked by Meink’s admission, and said it will likely push the U.S. military’s “main adversaries in space” to acknowledge their capabilities, too. “The U.S. also now has to accept the Chinese and Russians doing/saying the same. I don’t think that this is going to be in the interest of U.S. national security,” said Victoria Samson, the Secure World Foundation’s chief director of space security and stability.
Meink did not provide any details as to what kind of weapons the U.S. has put into orbit, but analysts consulted by Defense One, including Samson, surmise that they are of the “non-kinetic” type, that is, space-based electronic warfare systems.
In Beijing, Meink’s claim came up in Tuesday’s Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing. “China stands for peaceful use of outer space and keeping it safe, and opposes any arms race in outer space or any attempt to weaponize it and turn it into a war zone,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun. “We urge the U.S. to stop expanding military build-up in outer space, and uphold global strategic stability with concrete actions.”
Later Guo added: “China looks forward to working with all countries to uphold relevant international law with the Outer Space Treaty as the cornerstone, abide by the paramount principle of exploring and using outer space for peaceful purposes, firmly oppose attempts to weaponize space or turn it into a battlefield, make sure progress in science and technology will bring greater benefits to all humanity, and ensure that space will truly become a platform for win win cooperation.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke similarly, saying that Russia remains adamant that weapons should not be deployed in outer space. “Of course, we will not come off that position,” he said, reported TASS. “Here, we are counting on broad international consolidation to continue the work and advance positions in favor of the complete demilitarization of space,” he added.
