Comment:  Not only is there a new race to the moon; also there is a new race to put weapons in space.  The arms race is now in all dimensions.

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4601219/secaf-announces-on-orbit-space-control-weapons/

"SecAF announces on-orbit space

control weapons"

 "Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink delivers a keynote address during the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber Conference at the National Harbor, Md., Sept 14, 2026. The annual conference is an opportunity for Department of the Air Force senior leaders to meet and address Airmen, Guardians, allies, partners and industry leaders.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya)"

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https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/for-the-first-time-the-us-military-confirms-it-has-deployed-weapons-in-orbit/

"For the first time, the US military confirms it has deployed weapons in orbit"

"A US Space Force Guardian monitors a space effects command and control display at the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on May 28, 2026. 
Credit: US Space Force/David Dozoretz"

Quote:

What kind of weapons?

Deterrence was the only reason Meink cited for the Pentagon’s decision to disclose the existence of US weapons in space. Ars has written about how space weapons could be used as a deterrent before and has also reported on the categories of adversarial space weapons the Space Force might pursue.

The categories include directed-energy, such as lasers, radio frequency jammers, and kinetic weapons capable of physically destroying a target. These types of weapons could be positioned on the ground or in space. In 2025, Gen. Chance Saltzman, until earlier this month the Space Force’s chief of space operations, said other countries, presumably China and Russia, are pursuing all six categories. “We’re not pursuing all of those yet,” Saltzman said at the time.

But Saltzman argued that maybe the United States should. “There are good reasons to have all those categories,” he said.

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https://arstechnica.com/features/2025/03/what-is-space-war-fighting-the-space-forces-top-general-has-some-thoughts/

"This slide from a presentation by Space Systems Command illustrates a few of the counter-space weapons fielded by China and Russia. 
Credit: Space Systems Command"