The US has publicly confirmed for the first time that it has placed weapons in space and is ready to use them to protect its troops.
This was stated by US Air Force Secretary Troy Mainck at the Air, Space & Cyber conference in Maryland, CNN reports.
Maink did not specify what weapons were placed in orbit and when. The Space Force said it was a “space control weapon” that could be used for both defensive and offensive missions. It could use kinetic and non-kinetic means to influence enemy capabilities.
It is not yet clear whether these systems are capable of physically destroying satellites. Possible means of space warfare include jamming, cyber assets, lasers, or other systems that can disable enemy satellites without physically destroying them.
The public announcement is intended to deter potential adversaries. The United States considers China and Russia to be its main competitors in space: both countries are developing systems capable of countering satellites and other space infrastructure.
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