Space Force confirm US has deployed weapons in space with unnerving reason behind move
Space weapons have been deployed – or at least, acknowledged – by the US Space Force for the first time in history, and senior officials explain that the motivation behind their existence in Earth's orbit is to 'safeguard' America against any hostile enemy action.
Our presence in space has significantly expanded over the last decade, with not only the return of exploration efforts with the recent Artemis missions, but also the growing number of satellites orbiting our planet — the vast majority of which are controlled by private entities like SpaceX.
It was only natural then that space would start to be used for more aggressive purposes, and it seems like the United States has found a way around a vital treaty that supposedly prevented this from happening.
As reported by the BBC, the news of weapons in space came from Troy Meink, US Secretary of the Air Force, as he indicated that there is an existing 'on orbit' apparatus currently moving around Earth's orbit, confirming what many had speculated for a while.
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Meink outlined during a talk at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference this week that the weapon was prepared to deal with 'evolving threats' that might be triggered by America's adversaries, but refused to reveal how this would manifest itself and when the weapon was first deployed.
America goes heavy on space defense systems
One of the key motivating factors behind the development of space weapons and defense systems is the threat that similar programs from both Russia and China could pose to existing US-controlled satellite systems.
There's no denying the dominant position that the US currently holds in Earth's orbit – with estimates suggesting that more than 70% of all currently active satellites operated by America directly or through American companies – so these new weapons would seemingly help to defend against any dangers that might arise.
Additionally, this mysterious space weapon joins President Donald Trump's proposed Golden Dome project – which is yet to officially get off the ground – in offering air-based defense systems for the United States, and they could provide America with a major upper-hand in the event of a nuclear war, providing nothing goes wrong in the process.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson for the US Space Force has illustrated that "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."
Are space weapons actually legal?
While there's now no denying that the United States is using space for more aggressive means, with explicit weapons existing to exert that dominant power, some might be wondering whether this breaches long-standing agreements designed to keep space a 'peaceful' realm.
Nobody technically controls the boundless realm of space after all, and therefore using aggression to either exert dominance over positions beyond Earth or locations across our planet would be questionable in the eyes of many.
The Outer Space Treaty – signed in 1967 initially by the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union before opening up to 118 different countries – specifically prohibits the use of space for anything other than peaceful purposes, recognizing the common interests of all mankind in doing so.
Article IV specifically blocks any attempts to place nuclear weapons (or any weapon of mass destruction) in any object orbiting out planet, including celestial bodies or stations, but new technology has likely revealed a loophole that allows powerful nations to operate weapons in space that aren't subject to these rules.