The final frontier: US reveals Space Force has 'on-orbit space control weapons' for first time

Meink declined to say whether the weapons were kinetic, meaning systems designed to physically damage or destroy a target, or non-kinetic systems such as electronic warfare capabilities.

Shir Perets / THE JERUSALEM POST 

The US Space Force has "on-orbit space control weapons" capable of defending American forces from hostile action, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly revealed Monday at the Pentagon in the United States' most explicit acknowledgment to date that it has deployed military weapons in space.

"Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenge of evolving threats wherever they exist," Meink said during the opening keynote address at the Air & Space Forces Association's Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

"This is why the Space Force now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action."

 The disclosure comes as Washington has increasingly spoken publicly about the prospect of conflict in orbit and the need to protect US satellites against potential adversaries. China and Russia have developed and demonstrated technologies that US and allied officials say could threaten satellites and other space infrastructure. Read more here.