Just nine days after U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed that the U.S. already has weapons in space, the UK Ministry of Defense declared that it was projecting the British 19th Century model of imperial domination into orbital space but calling it “deterrence.”

According to the MOD announcement, issued on Wednesday, the Royal Air Force is forming a special squadron in the RAF “focused on disrupting, degrading, and denying enemy activity targeting British interests in space.” The announcement was made by Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smith, the head of the RAF, at the UK Space Power Conference. “No. III Space Effects Squadron will bring together specialist personnel from across the Armed Forces to counter hostile activity in orbit and defend the satellites the nation depends on every day,” the MoD statement said. “While sister units No. I Space Operations Squadron and No. II Space Warning Squadron give the RAF the ability to watch and warn of threats in space, the new No. III Squadron will act against those threats, using advanced technology, including Electronic Warfare, to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile actions. The squadron will support both offensive and defensive space operations and will expand over time as new capabilities enter service.”