US weapons ‘deployed’ in space

The United States has deployed weapons in space and will use them to defend American forces, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday – the first public acknowledgment of such capabilities in orbit and a deliberate signal to those that pose potential threats in the domain.
“Today we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink told the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”
Meink did not provide specifics on the weapons and, when asked to expand, refused to provide additional details. It’s unknown when the weapons were put into orbit. “China develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernisation strategy,” the US Space Force says on its website, while “Russia views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”
China on Tuesday warned against turning outer space into a "battlefield" and Russia said it must be "free from any weapon" after the United States confirmed for the first time that it has arms deployed in orbit above the Earth.