美国空军部长特洛伊·梅因克周一表示，美国已在地球轨道部署武器，这是在对太空武器化进行数十年辩论后，首次公开承认拥有这一能力，尽管外界早已推测其存在。
“今天，我们继续确保我们随时准备应对不断变化的威胁所带来的挑战，无论这些威胁存在于何处。这就是为什么美国现在拥有能够在轨道上部署的太空控制武器，以保护联合部队免受敌对行动的侵害，”迈恩克在航空航天与网络会议上说道，这是对中国和俄罗斯发出的严厉警告。
“这些能力可在作战指挥部的指挥下用于进攻和防御目的，”美国空军发言人告诉美国广播公司新闻网。“自2007年以来，美国一直就俄罗斯和中国的武器测试和部署发出警告。由于他们的行动，太空已成为一个作战领域已不再是疑问。开放沟通能增强威慑力，防止对手误判，并使太空行动与其他军种行动一样正常化。”
国家安全专家和国防官员长期以来一直警告称，地球轨道可能会成为争夺的焦点，因为对手会试图使为部队提供全球定位系统（GPS）、通信、情报和瞄准数据的卫星失效或将其摧毁。此类攻击还可能扰乱民用通信以及对全球经济至关重要的其他系统。
目前尚不清楚美国在轨道上部署了何种武器，以及这些武器已部署了多长时间。
几十年来，随着卫星成为现代战争中不可或缺的一部分，太空战的前景一直笼罩在军事规划之上。太空武器可能包括网络武器或激光武器，也可能包括专门设计用于撞击其他卫星的卫星。
空间中的动力学冲突也可能在轨道上造成持久危害。被摧毁的卫星会产生以极高速度飞行的碎片，从而增加碰撞的风险，并使航天器的安全发射和运行变得更加困难。
Air Force secretary acknowledges the US has weapons in space
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday that the U．S． has weapons stationed in Earth’s orbit， the first public acknowledgment of a capability long assumed to exist after decades of debate over the weaponization of space．
＂Today， we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist． This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action，” Meink said at the Air， Space and Cyber Conference， a stark warning to China and Russia．
＂These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands，＂ a Space Force spokesperson told ABC News． ＂The U．S． has warned about Russian and Chinese weapons testing and operationalization since 2007． Due to their actions， it is no longer a question that space is a warfighting domain． Open communication strengthens deterrence， prevents adversary miscalculation， and normalizes space operations alongside the other services．＂
Earth’s orbit could become contested， national security experts and defense officials have long warned， with adversaries trying to disable or destroy satellites that provide troops with GPS， communications， intelligence and targeting data． Such attacks could also disrupt civilian communications and other systems critical to the global economy．
It’s unclear what kind of weapons the U．S． has placed in orbit or how long they have been deployed．
The prospect of warfare in space has loomed over military planning for decades as satellites have become essential to modern combat．Space weapons can include cyber weapons or lasers． They can also include satellitesbuilt to crash into others．
A kinetic conflict in space could also create lasting hazards in orbit． Destroyed satellites can produce debris traveling at extremely high speeds， increasing the risk of collisions and making it more difficult to safely launch and operate spacecraft．
