Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated the United States has fielded space control weapons deployed in orbit to defend the joint force against hostile adversary action. Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland, Meink confirmed the operational capability to disrupt, degrade, or destroy enemy assets for both offensive and defensive purposes. The Pentagon refused to disclose the specific technology, the number of weapons in orbit, or their deployment dates.

Russia's government claimed the US failed to provide notification regarding the orbital deployment and called for the complete demilitarization of space. China's Foreign Ministry urged Washington to halt its military buildup in orbit, warning that such weapons could fuel an international arms race. This disclosure ends decades of official ambiguity and adheres to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty which prohibits weapons of mass destruction but allows conventional military instruments.