U.S. Admits It Has Weapons In Orbit

By Joseph Trevithick , Howard Altman

Published Sep 14, 2026 7:40 PM EDT

VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS via Getty Images

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink made a bombshell admission this morning, disclosing that there are on-orbit weapons deployed right now to protect America’s interests in space . Those weapons support a Space Control mission set, and the U.S. Space Force has now also shared additional details about that directly with TWZ .

Meink first made mention of what he described as “on-orbit space control weapons” during his keynote speech earlier today at the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference , at which TWZ is in attendance. As head of the Department of the Air Force, Meink serves as the top civilian overseeing both the Air Force and the Space Force. Space-based weapons have historically been a very sensitive topic for the U.S. military, with much discussion over the decades about whether such capabilities could already exist to varying degrees in the American arsenal. There has already been a dramatic shift in this regard in recent years, with the head of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) openly declaring the acquisition of new anti-satellite weapons to be a top priority just last month .

The first official painting commissioned by the Space Force, seen here, explicitly depicts a duel between a reusable spaceplane and a hostile ‘killer satellite.’ USSF

“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist,” Meink said during his keynote address. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”

“That phrase was very well thought out. So whatever I said before is what I say again,” he said when asked if he could elaborate in any way on those capabilities at a question-and-answer session immediately following his speech. “It is critically important that we maintain our dominance not only in the air, but in space, and so we’ve had to take steps to make sure that when we’re threatened, we can take care of that.”

“Not going to go into specifics on the type of weapon,” Meink said when asked again if he could elaborate at a press roundtable with TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Air, Space & Cyber Conference today. “Just like in air dominance, we need to maintain dominance in space as it becomes more and more important to how we function, how we operate militarily, and economically [and] civilian-wise.”

“There’s a lot of factors that go into how we talk about these things. We spend a lot of time talking about how we’re going to talk about these things,” Meink added at the roundtable when asked about why this disclosure was being made now and its implications for deterring adversaries.

“It is important from a deterrence perspective, but on the other hand, me talking about the details of what we’re doing would actually not benefit that deterrence,” he continued. “So I’m not going to talk about the specifics of what we’re doing, whether we’ve tested or not tested, or anything else.”

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink speaks during the change of responsibility ceremony for Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess on Sept. 3, 2026. USAF/Eric Dietrich

TWZ had separately reached out for more information after Meink made his initial remarks this morning.

“It is longstanding policy that the U.S. will protect and defend the Joint Force through all domains,” a Space Force spokesperson subsequently told us. “We are increasing readiness against existing threats, and the U.S. has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.”

“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,” they continued. “These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands. U.S. military operations are conducted in compliance with international law, including the Outer Space Treaty and LOAC [the Law of Armed Conflict ].”

The Outer Space Treaty, which came into force in 1967, prohibits the United States and other signatories from placing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in orbit. It does not impose limits on the deployment of conventional weaponry. After receiving this initial statement from Space Force, TWZ followed up to ask whether the service was confirming that it has kinetic (e.g. physical interceptors) and non-kinetic space control weapons (e.g. electronic warfare jammers) now, and that any such weapons could be employed both offensively and defensively.

“We are confirming that the United States has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary actions,” the Space Force spokesperson said in response. “Beyond that, we will not discuss specific operational methods, payloads, technical characteristics, or employment concepts.”

A look inside a U.S. space command center. US Space Command

“As the Space Force continues to mature, our public discussion is intended to clarify doctrine and mission sets, not disclose sensitive operational details,” they added. “What is important is that the U.S. Space Force is committed to the long-term safety, security, and sustainability of the space domain, and our operations are guided by longstanding principles of professional military behavior and international law. That commitment remains central as space operations continue to mature and normalize.”

There are a wide range of means by which a platform on-orbit can attack another or otherwise defend against incoming threats. Not all of those options involve effects that are destructive or even irreversible , either. For instance, a laser could be used to blind optics on a target temporarily without damaging them. Electronic warfare suites could similarly disrupt a threat without causing any kind of permanent harm. Doing so could help provide extra time for a friendly asset to maneuver out of danger. There are, of course, also capabilities that do seek to damage and/or destroy a target, such as physical interceptors , grappling arms , aerosols that can be sprayed on optics and solar panels, or even just using one satellite as a kinetic weapon to smash into something else.

A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency graphic highlighting some of the ways on-orbit attack can be carried out. DIA

So-called counter-space weapons, as a broad category, are also not limited to space-based capabilities. There are also direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) interceptors launched from the surface and other capabilities deployed from within the Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to today, the only acknowledged anti-satellite weapons the U.S. military had in inventory were ground-based electronic warfare systems. In 2022, under President Joe Biden, the U.S. government had announced a self-imposed moratorium on destructive direct ascent anti-satellite weapons testing. Still, this would not have precluded development of those capabilities using other means, and not even clear if that policy is still in place.

It is important to further note here that plans for new space-based anti-missile interceptors are at the core of the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

There is certainly no debate about the absolutely vital role that space-based capabilities – including early warning, general intelligence gathering, weapons guidance, near-real-time communications, and more – play in U.S. military operations today. Similarly, it is well-established at this point that America’s principal global competitors and potential adversaries, especially China and Russia , have been actively developing and fielding increasingly more threatening anti-satellite capabilities . China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has also been dramatically expanding its own space-based capabilities , steadily eroding the U.S. military’s historic dominance in this domain and presenting new threats to U.S. forces.

“From the broadest perspective, maybe the most critical characteristic of the responsive and adaptive national security space architecture called for in the President’s Ensuring American Space Superiority executive order is that survivability matters at least as much as performance,” U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of SPACECOM, said in August at the annual Space & Missile Defense (SMD) Symposium . “In space, there is no safe harbor. You can’t dig a trench or build a shield. Our satellites are consistently or predictably in an opponent’s weapons engagement zone. And we can build the most high-performing, exquisite satellites in human history, but if they depend on fragile, targetable supporting infrastructure, their performance will drop to zero on the first day of the next war.”

U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of US Space Command, seen speaking at the 2026 DoDIIS Worldwide Conference on August 10, 2026. DIA

Whiting publicly declared at that time that having “credible, acknowledged” options for countering enemy capabilities in space, to include damaging or even destroying them, was a key priority for deterring hostile action and surviving if a major fight in orbit were to break out.

“Protective measures on satellites is just like thinking about protective measures on aircraft, okay? And we’re working through that,” Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command (CFC), also told TWZ and others more recently at a roundtable at AFA’s Warfare Symposium back in February. “I won’t provide specifics, because I want those protective measures to work, right? I don’t want to tell Beijing and Moscow what I’ve done.”

“But protecting and defending satellites can’t simply be done by protect and defend. You can’t run away from a bully forever. Sometimes you got to turn around and punch,” Gagnon continued. “So protect and defend, although necessary, is insufficient to deliver space control. We also need, as part of our joint force, the ability to attack.”

U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, commander of USSF Combat Forces Command, at center, seen at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, in December 2025. USSF

Meink’s remarks today put Gagnon’s prior comments, in particular, in a whole new light.

The Secretary of the Air Force’s new disclosure has prompted additional questions beyond just what actual weapon systems the U.S. military has actually fielded in space. There are long-standing concerns about the potentially wide-reaching ramifications of increasingly weaponizing space. As Meink himself noted today, space-based communications and other capabilities are increasingly central to daily life, in general, and widespread, long-term disruption could have serious negative economic and other impacts .

At the roundtable today, Meink pushed back on a question about these concerns, citing Chinese and Russian anti-satellite developments.

“Is there a question in the room by anybody about whether or not the Chinese and Russians have been developing these sorts of weapons?” he said. “We are focused on making sure we can protect ourselves and operate in that environment.”

“Depends on where you sit, right, you know? But to say that it’s the responsibility for the U.S. government to protect its citizens from emerging threats makes perfect sense to me,” now-retired Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said last year when asked a similar question in the context of the Golden Dome initiatives’ plans for space-based interceptors. “And we clearly see a country like the PRC [People’s Republic of China] investing heavily in these kinds of threats, whether it’s hypersonic [weapons] , whether it’s threats from space . And so now it’s time for the U.S. government to step up to the responsibilities to protect American citizens from those threats.”

Though many questions remain, it is now clear that the U.S. military is not just planning to, but has already fielded at least some weapon systems in orbit as the threat ecosystem outside the Earth’s atmosphere continues to expand and evolve.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Comments couldn’t be loaded. Please refresh the page.

作者：约瑟夫·特雷维西克、霍华德·奥特曼

发布于美国东部时间2026年9月14日晚上7:40

图片来自 VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS via Getty Images

美国空军部长特洛伊·梅因克今天上午做出了一项重磅声明，透露目前已有在轨武器部署用于保护美国在太空的利益。这些武器支持太空控制任务，美国太空军现在也直接向TWZ透露了更多相关细节。

梅因克今天早些时候在空军与航天部队协会（AFA）2026年航空航天网络大会上发表主旨演讲时，首次提及了他所谓的“在轨空间控制武器”。TWZ也出席了此次大会。作为空军部长，梅因克是负责监管空军和太空部队的最高文职官员。太空武器历来是美国军方非常敏感的话题，几十年来，关于美国武库中是否已经存在不同程度的此类能力，一直存在着大量的讨论。近年来，这方面已经发生了显著变化，美国太空司令部（SPACECOM）司令上个月公开宣布，采购新型反卫星武器是首要任务。

这幅由美国太空部队委托创作的第一幅官方画作（如图所示）明确描绘了一架可重复使用空天飞机与一颗敌方“杀手卫星”之间的决斗。

“今天，我们将继续确保随时准备应对不断演变的威胁，无论这些威胁来自何方，”梅因克在主旨演讲中说道。“正因如此，美国现在拥有在轨空间控制武器，能够保护联合部队免受敌对势力的攻击。”

“这句话是经过深思熟虑的。所以我之前说的，我再说一遍，”他在演讲结束后立即进入问答环节，被问及能否就这些能力做进一步阐述时说道。“保持我们在空中和太空的优势至关重要，因此我们必须采取措施，确保在受到威胁时能够应对。”

在今天举行的航空航天与网络会议期间，当被再次问及能否详细说明武器类型时，梅因克在与TWZ和其他媒体举行的新闻发布会上表示：“我不会透露武器的具体类型。就像在空中优势方面一样，我们也需要保持太空优势，因为太空对我们的运作方式，无论是在军事、经济还是民用领域，都变得越来越重要。”

“有很多因素会影响我们如何谈论这些事情。我们花了很多时间讨论我们将如何谈论这些事情，”梅因克在圆桌会议上被问及为什么现在要披露这些信息以及这对威慑对手的影响时补充道。

“从威慑的角度来看，这很重要，但另一方面，我谈论我们正在做的事情的细节实际上并不会增强威慑效果，”他继续说道。“所以我不会谈论我们正在做的事情的具体细节，无论是我们是否已经进行过测试，还是其他任何事情。”

2026年9月3日，美国空军部长特洛伊·梅因克在太空作战部长道格拉斯·希斯将军的交接仪式上发表讲话。（美国空军/埃里克·迪特里希摄）

在 Meink 今天上午发表初步言论后，TWZ 单独联系以获取更多信息。

“美国长期以来的政策是，在所有领域保护和捍卫联合部队，”一位太空部队发言人随后告诉我们。“我们正在提高应对现有威胁的战备水平，美国拥有在轨太空控制武器，能够保护联合部队免受敌对势力的攻击。”

他们继续说道：“太空控制涵盖了争夺和控制太空领域所需的各项任务——运用动能和非动能手段，通过干扰、削弱甚至在必要时摧毁来影响敌方能力。这些能力可在作战司令部的指挥下用于进攻和防御目的。美国军事行动均遵守国际法，包括《外层空间条约》和《武装冲突法》。”

1967年生效的《外层空间条约》禁止美国和其他缔约国在轨道上部署核武器和其他大规模杀伤性武器。该条约并未限制常规武器的部署。在收到太空部队的初步声明后，TWZ进一步询问该部队是否确认其目前拥有动能武器（例如物理拦截器）和非动能空间控制武器（例如电子战干扰器），以及这些武器是否可用于进攻和防御。

美国太空军发言人回应称：“我们确认，美国拥有在轨空间控制武器，能够保护联合部队免受敌对势力的攻击。除此之外，我们不会讨论具体的作战方法、有效载荷、技术特性或运用方案。”

探秘美国太空司令部。美国太空司令部

他们补充道：“随着太空部队的不断成熟，我们公开讨论的目的是为了澄清作战理论和任务目标，而不是泄露敏感的作战细节。重要的是，美国太空部队致力于维护太空领域的长期安全、保障和可持续发展，我们的行动遵循长期以来专业军事行为和国际法的原则。随着太空行动的不断成熟和规范化，这一承诺仍然至关重要。”

在轨平台可以通过多种方式攻击其他目标或防御来袭威胁。并非所有方式都会造成破坏性甚至不可逆转的影响。例如，可以使用激光暂时致盲目标的光学设备，而不会造成损坏。电子战系统也可以干扰威胁，而不会造成任何永久性损害。这样做可以为友方争取更多时间，使其脱离危险。当然，也有一些能力旨在破坏甚至摧毁目标，例如物理拦截器、机械臂、喷洒在光学设备和太阳能电池板上的气溶胶，甚至可以将一颗卫星用作动能武器，撞击其他目标。

美国国防情报局的一张图表，重点展示了几种在轨攻击的实施方式。

所谓反太空武器，作为一个广义类别，并不局限于天基作战能力。它还包括从地面发射的直接上升式反卫星（ASAT）拦截器，以及其他从地球大气层内部署的作战能力。在此之前，美国军方唯一公开承认的反卫星武器是地面电子战系统。2022年，在乔·拜登总统的领导下，美国政府宣布暂停进行破坏性的直接上升式反卫星武器试验。然而，这并不妨碍美国利用其他手段发展此类能力，而且目前尚不清楚该政策是否仍然有效。

值得注意的是，新型天基反导拦截器的计划是特朗普政府“金穹顶”导弹防御计划的核心。

毋庸置疑，天基能力——包括预警、通用情报收集、武器制导、近实时通信等——在当今美国军事行动中发挥着至关重要的作用。同样，目前也已明确，美国的主要全球竞争对手和潜在对手，特别是中国和俄罗斯，一直在积极研发和部署日益强大的反卫星能力。中国人民解放军也在大幅提升自身的天基能力，不断削弱美国在该领域的历史优势，并对美军构成新的威胁。

“从最宏观的角度来看，总统在确保美国太空优势的行政命令中所要求的响应迅速、适应性强的国家安全太空架构，其最关键的特征或许在于，生存能力至少与性能同等重要，”美国太空司令部司令、太空军上将斯蒂芬·惠廷在8月份举行的年度太空与导弹防御（SMD）研讨会上表示。“在太空中，没有绝对安全的港湾。你无法挖掘战壕或建造屏障。我们的卫星始终处于敌方武器交战区内，而且这种交战是可以预见的。我们可以制造出人类历史上性能最高、最精密的卫星，但如果它们依赖于脆弱且易受攻击的支撑基础设施，那么在下一场战争的第一天，它们的性能就会降至零。”

美国太空司令部司令、美国太空军上将斯蒂芬·惠廷于2026年8月10日在2026年国防部情报与信息系统（DoDIIS）全球会议上发表讲话。（图片来源：美国国防情报局）

当时，怀廷公开宣称，拥有“可信的、公认的”应对敌方太空能力的选项，包括破坏甚至摧毁敌方能力，是阻止敌对行动和在轨道上爆发重大战斗时生存下来的关键优先事项。

“卫星防护措施和飞机防护措施一样重要，明白吗？我们正在研究这个问题，”太空军作战部队司令部（CFC）司令格雷戈里·加尼翁中将最近在2月份美国空军协会（AFA）战争研讨会的一次圆桌会议上也对TWZ和其他人士表示。“我不会透露具体细节，因为我希望这些防护措施有效，对吧？我不想让北京和莫斯科知道我做了什么。”

“但是，保护和防御卫星不能仅仅依靠保护和防御。你不可能永远躲避恶霸。有时候，你必须转身反击，”加尼翁继续说道。“因此，保护​​和防御虽然必要，但不足以实现太空控制。作为联合部队的一部分，我们也需要具备攻击能力。”

美国太空军作战部队司令部司令格雷戈里·加尼翁中将（图中）于2025年12月在科罗拉多州施里弗太空军基地拍摄。

梅因克今天的言论，尤其是加尼翁之前的言论，给人一种全新的认识。

空军部长此次披露的信息引发了更多疑问，而不仅仅是美国军方究竟在太空部署了哪些武器系统。长期以来，人们一直担忧太空武器化可能带来的广泛影响。正如梅因克今天所指出的，天基通信和其他能力在日常生活中日益重要，而大规模、长期的干扰可能会造成严重的经济和其他负面影响。

在今天的圆桌会议上，梅因克反驳了有关这些担忧的问题，并提到了中国和俄罗斯的反卫星发展。

“在座各位是否有人质疑中国和俄罗斯是否一直在研发这类武器？”他问道，“我们目前的重点是确保我们能够保护自身安全，并在这种环境下开展行动。”

“这取决于你的立场，对吧？但要说美国政府有责任保护其公民免受新兴威胁，这在我看来完全合情合理，”现已退休的太空作战部长钱斯·萨尔茨曼将军去年在被问及类似问题时说道，当时他正就“金穹顶”计划中天基拦截器的方案发表看法。“我们清楚地看到，像中华人民共和国这样的国家正在大力投资应对这类威胁，无论是高超音速武器，还是来自太空的威胁。因此，现在是美国政府承担起保护美国公民免受这些威胁的责任的时候了。”

尽管仍有许多问题悬而未决，但现在已经很清楚，随着地球大气层外的威胁生态系统不断扩大和演变，美国军方不仅计划这样做，而且已经部署了至少一些轨道武器系统。

联系作者：joe@twz.com

评论加载失败，请刷新页面。