US Air Force Secretary confirms for first time that US weapons are in orbit

US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced at the “Air, Space & Cyber” conference in Maryland that the United States possesses orbital weapons intended for controlling space.

According to Defense One, this marks the first time a senior US military official has publicly confirmed the existence of such weapons in orbit. Previously, US officials had consistently avoided publicly acknowledging this, citing national security concerns.

Context

The statement signals a shift in how the US approaches public disclosure about the militarization of space. Until now, information about possible space weapons had largely been speculative or based on indirect sources, whereas an official has now openly confirmed it at a formal conference.

The source report does not specify further details about the type, number, or deployment of the weapons in orbit.