United States confirms deployment of weapons in Earth orbit

The United States military confirmed on Monday that it has weapons operating in orbit around Earth. This is the first time the US has publicly admitted to having such capabilities. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink made the announcement at a major defence conference. He said the weapons are circling the globe and are needed to defend against growing threats. No technical details were given about how the weapons work. Space weapons that countries are developing include devices that can disable satellites and systems that fire projectiles. China warned against turning space into a military zone, and Russia raised concerns about an arms race. Experts believe the announcement could push other countries to develop their own space weapons more quickly.