“The United States has space-control weapons in orbit capable of defending joint forces from hostile actions by an adversary.” So on September 14, the US Space Force, the branch of the US military responsible for all space and satellite operations, announced for the first time that it had transferred weapons into space. The news shocked China which responded by asking not to launch an arms race even in orbit.
The statement
The US space force in its statement explains how far it is capable of going: “Space control includes the mission areas necessary to counter and control the space domain, employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to influence the capabilities of the adversary”. The US military further explained that “these capabilities can be employed for both offensive and defensive purposes.”
The arms race in space
This “space” branch of the military was established by Donald Trump in 2019, during his first term. The aim is to address the “growing threat posed by strategic competitors”. China and Russia among all. Moscow, in particular, was accused by Washington in 2024 of launching a spacecraft capable of attacking satellites in orbit. According to the US space force, Beijing and Moscow are developing a series of new systems designed to increase military effectiveness and “end any dependence on US space services”.
The Dragon is aware of the potential offered by space. The Chinese military has acknowledged that in orbit it is possible to conduct “long-range precision strikes and prevent other militaries from using information from space.”
However, China has called on the United States to “stop preparing for war” in space. “We urge the United States to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in space,” Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a news conference. Guo then warned Washington against an “arms race.”