In a significant development, the United States government has confirmed the deployment of an “on-orbit” space weapon. On Monday, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated that Washington has placed “space control weapons” in orbit. This marks a notable shift in the US stance regarding military capabilities in outer space, highlighting an increasing focus on space as a domain of national security and defense.
However, a major worry surfaced regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, which led to the signing of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 by the US, USSR and the United Kingdom. As of 2025, the treaty has been ratified by 118 countries, making nations such as India, Japan and the European Space Agency party to the agreement.
“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 official statement said, adding that “these capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” said Meink at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference. A similar statement was made by Meink during the conference, where the Air Force secretary said that the US has repeatedly expressed concern regarding Beijing and Moscow’s deployment of weapons in Space.
The treaty calls for peaceful use and prohibits weapons of mass destruction in the orbit or on celestial bodies. The treaty also states that no country has sovereignty or ownership in outer space. Along with the US, China and Russia, India has also explored ways to grow its space programme outside of the treaty
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist.
