Key Takeaways
- The United States has confirmed the deployment of weapons in space.
- China and Russia have warned against the weaponization of outer space.
- The move is seen as part of the US military's broader space capabilities.
The United States has confirmed the deployment of weapons in space, a move that has drawn warnings from China and Russia. In a statement, a US Space Force spokesperson said, 'The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.'
China's foreign ministry opposed the move, warning against the 'weaponisation of outer space, turning it into a battlefield, as well as an arms race there.' Spokesman Guo Jiakun urged the US side to 'stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space.'
Russia called for space to be kept 'free of any weapons,' with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating, 'We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarisation of space.'
The US statement did not provide concrete details about the weapons deployed in space or their numbers. 'Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain — employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities,' the statement said. 'These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes.'
For Washington, both Moscow and Beijing pose potential threats to US interests in space. The US Space Force noted that China 'develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernisation strategy,' while Russia 'views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.'
The militarisation of space is as old as the space race itself. As soon as the USSR's Sputnik was launched into orbit in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to arm and destroy satellites. In March 2019, India said it had destroyed a low-orbiting satellite, following in the footsteps of Russia, China, and the US, in a missile test that proved the nation was among the world's most advanced space powers.
Analysts said that the revelation by Washington confirmed an open secret, but the timing of the announcement risked exacerbating tensions with Beijing and the risk of a weapons race in space. The move marks a new stage in the major powers' rush for military space capabilities, driven by rapid technological advancements but lacking a comprehensive legal framework.
The US statement did not provide specific details about the weapons, but non-kinetic means could include lasers to blind satellites, or even electromagnetic or cyber jamming of their data links. The move is seen as part of the US military's broader space capabilities, which are aimed at defending against potential adversaries.
The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.
US Space Force spokesperson, US Space Force spokesperson
We urge the US side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space.
Guo Jiakun, China's foreign ministry spokesman
We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarisation of space.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
