‘Weapons deployed in space’; US identifies China and Russia as rivals

WASHINGTON: The United States has for the first time confirmed of deploying weapons in the space. The US Space Force had the other day stated that weapons have been placed in the orbit to protect the United States and its allied forces from the attacks of enemies. However, they have not disclosed what types of systems have been deployed.

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink also confirmed the presence of weapons in space during a speech at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference. ‘We are ready to deal with threats from anywhere. This is why space-control weapons capable of countering threats from adversaries have been deployed in orbit,’ said Meink. However, he did not reveal the details about the number, locations, or types of weapons deployed there.

The US Space Force points China and Russia as the countries that could pose the greatest threats to American activities in space. The United States says China is developing and operating space and counter-space systems as part of its military modernization efforts. The US Space Force also stated that Russia views space as a war-fighting domain and believes that dominance in space will be crucial in future conflicts.

The militarization of space existed since the cold war era. Following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States and Russia began looking for ways to protect their own satellites and disrupt those of their adversaries.