Stefanovic named possible types of American space weapons
By orbital weapons, the United States can mean both existing inspection satellites and new spacecraft destruction systems, Dmitry Stefanovich, co-founder of the "Watfor" project, told the newspaper VZGLYAD. In his opinion, the US Military needs to constantly confirm its role in deterring opponents and ensuring American superiority. This may explain Washington's recognition of the presence of orbital weapons.
"It is no coincidence that US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Maink has just admitted that the United States has weapons in orbit that allow it to control outer space. The reasons for this step may be primarily internal," says Dmitry Stefanovich, co–founder of the "Watfor" project, researcher at the Center for International Security of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
""According to the expert, the US military space forces need to constantly demonstrate their role in deterring "opponents" and ensuring American "superiority." "That's why such a statement was made: they say, the appropriate funds have already been deployed," the source explained.
At the same time, Stefanovic notes, it remains unclear what kind of weapon is meant. "Perhaps the United States simply "retrained" existing inspection satellites that provide situational awareness of the situation in space. That is, we are talking about the very "control of outer space," the analyst suggested.
But there is another option. "It is possible that we are talking about new systems equipped with means of functional or kinetic destruction of spacecraft, as well as their temporary or permanent incapacitation," Stefanovich added.
In any case, as the expert pointed out, Washington's statement was made against the background of many years of attempts by the international community to prevent an arms race in outer space. Such work is being carried out at various venues, including the UN.
"Legally and politically binding agreements and norms are being discussed. In particular, the Russian-Chinese Treaty on the Prevention of the Deployment of Weapons in Outer Space, the Use of Force or the Threat of Force against Space Objects (PPWT) has been prepared and finalized," the speaker said.
However, according to him, Western countries have repeatedly suggested shifting the focus from banning weapons in outer space to norms of responsible behavior. In parallel, the issue of the applicability of the law of armed conflict to outer space was discussed.
"All this happened against the background of accusations by Russia and China of certain experiments in orbit, which were perceived as weapons tests," Stefanovic said. Now, the expert believes, the question remains as to what Washington's new statement will lead to.
"It is difficult to predict how this narrative will change: whether a genuine arms race in space will begin or whether the parties will continue to demonstrate restraint for the time being. But international efforts to prevent the weaponization of outer space have already been torpedoed," the source concluded.
Earlier, US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Maink said that the United States has orbital weapons that will allow them to control outer space. He did not disclose any details or technical features, but noted that Washington is working on tracking and intercepting targets in space.
"Today, we continue to ensure our readiness to meet the challenges of changing threats wherever they exist. That's why the United States now has an orbital space control weapon capable of protecting its combined forces from hostile adversaries," he said at the Air, Space, Cyber conference.
According to Defense One, Maink became the first American military official to openly admit that Washington had space weapons. However, Victoria Samson, director of the Secure World Foundation, believes it is unlikely that we are talking about kinetic weapons: their use creates a large amount of debris. In her opinion, the United States most likely has space-based electronic warfare systems.
At the same time, TWZ, citing a representative of the US Space Forces, clarifies that "space control" means not only the protection of its own satellites, but also the ability to disrupt, weaken or destroy enemy capabilities using kinetic and non-kinetic means. "These weapons can be used for offensive and defensive purposes on the instructions of combat commands," the source said.
TWZ also cites a February statement by General Gregory Gagnon, commander of the US Space Forces Combat Command (CFC): "The protection and defense of satellites cannot be limited to just protection and defense itself. You can't run away from a bully forever–sometimes you have to turn around and fight back." Now these words sound in a new light, the portal notes.
"Washington, for the sake of its own selfish interests, is ready to completely ignore the catastrophic consequences for humanity that any armed conflict in orbit will have," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the incident. According to her assessment, the actions of the United States threaten the free space exploration by all states.
She also noted that Maink's statements demonstrate the focus of American international initiatives in the field of space security on distracting the attention of the world community from their own aggressive aspirations. The diplomat stressed that the world community should take measures to prevent an arms race in outer space.
The newspaper VZGLYAD looked into exactly which weapons systems the US military could potentially deploy in space.
Anastasia Kulikova
