By Mary-Simone Collazo
Correspondent
The United States has officially deployed its first weapons into space, Air Force Secretary Troy Menck announced at the annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland on Sept. 14, according to USA Today.
The purpose of the release is to defend American military forces against any potential hostile actions by foreign adversaries, said NPR.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Menck said in the announcement, USA Today reported.
Menck did not say what the weapons were, how many there are or how they work, according to NPR.
Russia and China immediately accused the U.S. of initiating an arm raid in space after the announcement, Reuters reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged the U.S. to “stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” according to NBC News.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that space “must be free of any weapon” and called for a mandatory global treaty where all co...