The US has admitted to possessing orbital weapons
USA, September 21, 2026 – Russia and China have achieved significant successes in the development of electronic warfare means capable of destroying enemy satellites.
The United States of America has orbital weapons that will allow it to control space. This was stated by US Secretary of the Aviation Troy Maink at the Air, Space, Cyber conference, as reported by The War Zone portal. “Today, we continue to ensure our readiness to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they may be. That is why the United States now has orbital weapons to control space that are capable of protecting the combined forces from hostile adversaries,” said Maink.
However, he refused to reveal what specific type of orbital weapons the United States possesses. “I’m not going to go into detail about the type of weapon,” Maink said when asked again if he could talk about it in more detail at a press conference with TWZ and other media held as part of a conference dedicated to aviation, space and cybersecurity. “As with air superiority, we must maintain superiority in space, because it is becoming increasingly important for our activities, our military, economic and civilian operations.”
The Outer Space Convention, signed by the United States, Great Britain and the USSR on January 27, 1967, prohibits the placing of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons of mass destruction in orbit. However, it does not impose any restrictions on the deployment of conventional weapons. TWZ journalists asked a representative of the US Space Force whether the department confirms that it has kinetic (such as physical interceptors) and non-kinetic weapons to control space (such as radio-electronic warfare means) and that such weapons can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.
“We confirm that the United States has the means of space control in orbit that are capable of protecting the United Forces from the activities of hostile forces,” the Space Force representative said. – In addition, we will not discuss specific modes of operation, payload, technical characteristics or concepts of use.” “Military experts were shocked by Maink’s confession… and have said that this is likely to prompt the main adversaries of the United States in space to admit their capabilities,” notes Defense One.
“It’s very important because as far as I know, no U.S. official has said anything like this before,” Victoria Samson, chief director for space security and stability at the Safe World Foundation, told the magazine. – Now even the US has to come to terms with the fact that the Chinese and the Russians are doing / saying the same thing. I don’t think it’s going to be in the interest of U.S. national security.” Victoria Samson also noted that, in her opinion, Maink was not talking about “kinetic weapons for space control, given the numerous statements made by government officials about the need to avoid the impact of debris that causes interference in space” and that these are “space-based means of radio-electronic warfare.”
In terms of the use of electronic warfare means in space, Russia and China surpass the United States in some areas, as discussed in a recent report by the American Secure World Foundation (SWF). The report, prepared on the basis of publicly available information, deals with anti-space warfare technologies – essentially space weapons. It is reported that Russia and China have achieved significant successes in the development of electronic warfare systems capable of destroying or decommissioning enemy satellites. These are mainly electronic suppression systems and targeted weapons that use lasers or microwaves.
Until recently, the US authorities openly admitted only the development of technologies to destroy satellites, but not the fact that they are constantly on standby in space. Beijing immediately accused the United States of militarizing space and making targeted preparations for combat operations in orbit, and called for the space near Earth not to be turned into a new battlefield.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun said Beijing opposes the militarization of space and turning it into a combat zone. “China has always advocated for the peaceful use of space and the preservation of space security, and is opposed to the placement of weapons, the conduct of combat operations and the arms race in space. We urge the United States to stop expanding its military preparations in space and take concrete steps to maintain global strategic stability,” the diplomat said.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the space near the Earth should remain completely free of any kind of weapons. “We believe that space should be free of any weapons. And, of course, we are counting on broad international consolidation to continue work and promote positions in favor of the complete demilitarization of space,” – Peskov said.
It can be assumed that Troy Maink’s statement about the existence of orbital weapons in the US is related to plans to create new space anti-missile fighters as part of the Trump administration’s initiative to create a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. The “Golden Dome” envisages, as we have already written, the creation of a network of satellites for recording, tracking and potentially intercepting missiles flying towards the United States with anti-missile fighters located in low orbit at an altitude of about two thousand kilometers.
This plan has been subjected to overwhelming criticism by independent experts. The main concept of the “Golden Dome” system envisages the detection and destruction of ballistic missiles in the first 30 seconds to two minutes after launch, when their thermal footprint is strongest (the so-called acceleration phase). However, this technology, as we have already written, is still in the development phase, and without conducting serious tests, it is impossible to make sure that an anti-missile launched from space can penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere with enough force to destroy an enemy ballistic missile.
It cannot be ruled out that the US Air Force has begun preparations for launching the “Golden Dome” anti-missiles into orbit and their subsequent testing. While such actions do not violate international law or the treaties the U.S. has signed, they are a clear indication of the White House’s uncontrollable and incurable militarism.
