The United States has weapons deployed in Earth’s orbit, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday, marking the Pentagon’s most explicit public acknowledgment to date that the U.S. military possesses operational space-based weapons.

Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Meink said the capabilities are intended to protect U.S. and allied forces from emerging threats.

“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said. He added that the United States now possesses “on-orbit space control weapons” designed to defend the joint force against hostile action.

Meink did not disclose what type of weapons have been placed in orbit, how many have been deployed or details about how they operate. The disclosure follows years of U.S. warnings about the development and testing of counter-space capabilities by China and Russia.

A U.S. Space Force spokesperson said the orbital capabilities could be used for both offensive and defensive operations under the direction of military combatant commands.

The Space Force describes “space control” as encompassing operations intended to contest and control the space domain, potentially using both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities against adversary systems.

Military officials said greater transparency about U.S. capabilities could strengthen deterrence, reduce the risk of miscalculation by adversaries and reinforce the military’s view of space as an operational warfighting domain.

The announcement represents a significant shift in how openly the Pentagon discusses its military capabilities in orbit. While U.S. officials have long warned about threats to satellites and other space infrastructure, details about American offensive and defensive systems operating in space have largely remained classified.