US confirms it has deployed weapons in Earth's orbit

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink has acknowledged for the first time that the United States maintains weapons in Earth's orbit.

• Meink said the US now possesses "on orbit" space control weapons capable of defending joint forces against hostile enemy action, a warning directed at Russia and China.
• The secretary did not specify the weapons' nature or when they were deployed.
• A US Space Force spokesperson said the capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands.
• The announcement came in Meink's speech at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday.
• Meink said the deliberate ambiguity about the weapons' nature is part of a deterrence strategy against adversaries.
• Meink linked the disclosure to the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile defense project, saying the US has flight-ready equipment to intercept missiles from space.
• Space security experts warned the admission could push other countries to expand military space programs, saying it might backfire if China and Russia reveal similar weapons.
• China warned against a space arms race and urged the United States to cease its preparations for war in space.
• Russia warned that the deployment risks an arms race in space, joining China's earlier warning.
• BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said an arms race in space is already under way.