DOPPELADLER.COM

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed Sept. 14 the Space Force has “space control weapons” on orbit today—the Pentagon’s most direct acknowledgement to date that the U.S. is operating offensive capabilities in space.

“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenge of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said during the opening keynote at AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference. “This is why the Space Force now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”

During a question and answer session following his speech, Meink said the acknowledgement was intentional and the phrasing “very well thought out.”

“It is critically important that we maintain our dominance, not only in the air but in space,” he said. “So, we’ve had to take steps to make sure that when we’re threatened, we can take care of that.”

Meink declined to discuss the capabilities in more detail during a briefing with reporters following his keynote—including whether the systems in question are kinetic or non-kinetic.

Department of the Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Sept. 14 the Air Force and Space Force must confront and defeat rapidly changing, AI-enabled threats while navigating a budget process built for a different pace of warfare.

The department’s mission, Meink said in a closely watched keynote address at the 2026 Air and Space Cyber Conference, is to “defend the homeland, deter all adversaries, and … if necessary … win in combat.”

Meink also acknowledged for the first time that Space Force has deployed weapons in space. “We are increasing readiness against existing threats, and the United States has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” he said.