Giving a rare public account of its military capabilities beyond earth, the United States has acknowledged that it has space-control weapons capable of operating in orbit. The US Space Force said the weapons are intended to protect American forces from hostile actions in space and can be used for both offensive and defensive missions.
Its spokesperson said on Monday (September 14), “The US has space control weapons in orbit that can defend the joint force against adversary actions.”
The statement did not disclose which specific weapons have been deployed in orbit. The admission comes at a time when the United States considers China and Russia its two biggest rivals in space. Both countries have been developing military capabilities that could be used against satellites and other space-based systems during a conflict.
The US Space Force described space control as a set of missions needed to challenge and control activities in the space domain. The spokesperson said, “Space control includes the missions necessary to contest and control the space domain. This includes the use of kinetic and non-kinetic methods to affect adversary capabilities.”
It also said these capabilities can be used for both attack and defence. The statement did not provide details about the weapons, their location in orbit or how they could be used against another country’s space assets.
The reference to kinetic and non-kinetic methods refers to different ways of interfering with or disabling an adversary’s space systems. Satellites support military communications, surveillance and navigation. They are important assets during a war.
Why US fears Russia and China in space
The United States sees China and Russia as its two biggest competitors in space. The US Space Force says Beijing has been developing and operating space and counter-space capabilities as part of its military modernisation strategy.
Russia, Washington says, views space as a potential battlefield and considers control of space an important factor in future conflicts.
Satellites play a major role in modern warfare. A country that can disrupt or disable an opponent’s satellites could interfere with its military communications, navigation and surveillance systems.
How did space become a military domain?
The military use of space dates back to the beginning of the space race. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into orbit in 1957, Washington and Moscow began working on ways to use satellites for military purposes and develop methods to destroy or disable them.
During the Cold War, one of the biggest fears was the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. The United States, the Soviet Union and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. The agreement banned the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit around earth and prohibited their placement on celestial bodies.
But the pact did not cover every type of military activity in space. Over the following decades, the United States, Russia and China developed technologies that could be used to interfere with satellites and other space systems.
Anti-satellite capabilities have since become an important part of military planning. Satellites support secure communications, intelligence gathering, surveillance and navigation, making them valuable targets during a conflict.
