Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States has “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending the joint force against hostile action. Meink made the statement during his opening keynote at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on September 14.

The disclosure was described by Air & Space Forces Magazine and the Associated Press as the most explicit public acknowledgment to date that the United States has fielded weapons in orbit. Meink did not identify the systems, say how many are deployed, explain whether they use kinetic or non-kinetic effects, or disclose whether they have been tested. He also did not say whether the weapons are aimed at objects in space or targets on Earth.

Meink told reporters the wording was deliberate and said acknowledging the weapons could support deterrence, while revealing technical details could undermine it. He linked the need for the capability to threats from China and Russia, both of which U.S. officials say are developing counterspace systems.

The announcement should not be conflated with other publicly discussed programs. Meink separately referenced planned space-based interceptors and a satellite constellation for tracking airborne targets, but officials did not identify either effort as the already deployed weapons he described.