- Published
The US has confirmed it deployed a space weapon in Earth's orbit, the first time it has acknowledged such offensive capabilities.
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it → publish → capabilities
US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said the "on orbit" weapon was necessary to safeguard US forces against hostile enemy action.
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weapon → say → action
Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, Meink said the US was ready for "evolving threats", but did not elaborate on the weapon's capabilities or when it was put into orbit.
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it → speak → orbit
Senior military leaders have previously said they planned to boost military capabilities in space, citing Russian and Chinese programmes developing ways to attack and disrupt US satellites in a future conflict.
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they → say → conflict
China responded on Tuesday by warning against an "arms race" in space.
"We urge the US side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space," AFP quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
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AFP → respond → spokesman
Details of how the weapon operates have not been disclosed by US officials.
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weapon → operate → officials
A US Space Force spokesperson said: "Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain – employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities through disruption, degradation and even destruction, if necessary.
"
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control → say → disruption
These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands."
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capabilities → employ → commands
An expert on military uses of outer space noted that "precious little" was publicly known about the technology, and told the BBC there could be a "whole range of different weapons systems".
Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Dr Bleddyn Bowen, from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said he was "totally guessing" but that the US could have been referring to "some kind electronic warfare or radio jamming platform".
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US → note → platform
That would be the sort of weapon that already exists on Earth and could disrupt radio communications, Bowen said.
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Bowen → exist → communications
An alternative would be "a kinetic kill vehicle of some sort - so a vehicle that would release a projectile of some sort that would ram into a satellite and destroy it".
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that → release → it
But this was less likely because such a physically destructive tool would be capable of creating a lot of debris, Bowen added.
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Bowen → create → debris
The Trump administration has said that space-based capabilities - and interceptor missiles - are a crucial part of its planned "Golden Dome" defence system to protect the US from missiles and other airborne threats.
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capabilities → say → missiles
Last year President Donald Trump issued an executive order underlining the US Space Force's role in not only defending assets, but also as an attacking force.
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Trump → issue → force
The US Space Force - the first new branch of the US military for more than 70 years - was launched in 2019 as a way to protect American assets in space, including hundreds of satellites used for communication and surveillance.
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Force → launch → communication
A 1967 treaty banned weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
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treaty → ban → orbit
Since then, key powers including the US, Russia, and China have been exploring other capabilities outside of the treaty, such as targeting rivals' satellites - which are key for military communications, surveillance and navigation.
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which → include → communications
In early February, it was revealed that two Russian satellites had likely intercepted the communications of at least a dozen European ones since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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satellites → reveal → 2022
Such interceptions may have allowed Russian intelligence services to read the sensitive data they transmit, or hypothetically, even to take control of the satellites.
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they → allow → satellites
In 2024, the US said Russia had launched a satellite which it believed may be capable of attacking other such probes.
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it → say → probes
Russia did not publicly comment on the issue.
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Russia → comment → issue
The US Space Force says China "develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernisation strategy," while Russia "views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts".
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supremacy → say → conflicts
The Aporia
