US Space Force Confirms US Weapons Deployment in Orbit

The spokesperson explained that the concept of "space control includes various missions necessary to counter adversaries and impose control (...) using kinetic and non-kinetic means to influence their capabilities," adding that "these capabilities can be used for offensive and defensive purposes"

This step comes amid growing space competition between the United States on the one hand and Russia and China on the other, as Washington considers the two countries to be a potential threat to its interests in space.

According to the US Space Force, China is "developing and operating space and counter-space capabilities as part of its strategy to modernize its armed forces," while Russia "views space as a battlefield and believes that superiority in it represents a decisive factor in future conflicts"

The militarization of space is not a new phenomenon, but dates back to the very beginning of the space race, when, following the launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States and the Soviet Union began studying the potential use of space for military purposes, including arming satellites and developing means to destroy them.

While the greatest concern previously was the potential deployment of nuclear weapons in space, in 1967 the major powers and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

Since then, the United States, Russia, China and India have continued to develop space combat means not covered by the treaty, particularly systems capable of targeting satellites, which play a key role in military communications, reconnaissance and navigation.