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The United States possesses an orbital weapon designed to control space, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said during the Air, Space, Cyber conference, according to Defense One.
Meink said the United States was continuing to prepare for changing threats wherever they emerge. He added that the country now has an orbital space-control weapon intended to protect joint forces from hostile adversaries.
The Air Force secretary did not specify what kind of system he was referring to. He also provided no details about its characteristics or how it operates.
Defense One noted that senior US military officials had previously avoided giving specific answers when asked about American space weapons. They cited national security requirements as the reason for withholding details.
Victoria Samson, director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, said she was not aware of any previous public statement by a US government official making such a claim.
She suggested that the system is most likely not kinetic. US authorities have repeatedly stressed the need to limit the creation of space debris, while kinetic weapons, including missiles, can generate large amounts of debris when destroying a target.
Samson suggested that Meink may have been referring to a space-based electronic warfare system capable of jamming signals.