PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 15th, 2026: U.S. Reveals Orbital Weapons & Military Stockpiles Run Low

Mike Baker (0:11)

It's Tuesday, the 15th of September. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Alright, let's get briefed. First up, forget about theoretical arguments about the weaponization of space. The US has now announced publicly that they have weapons in orbit, and the Pentagon wants China and Russia to know it. I'll have the details. Later in the show, the Pentagon's own inspector general is now saying Operation Epic Fury has drained key US munitions stocks, raising concerns about how quickly America can rearm for the next conflict. But first, today's afternoon bulletin. For the first time, the US is publicly acknowledging that it has weapons deployed in space, not weapons that are being designed for possible future use in space. According to the secretary of the Air Force, American space control weapons are already in orbit. Air Force Secretary Troy Mink made that disclosure on Monday during the Air and Space Forces Association's annual conference just outside of Washington, DC.

Speaking about the growing military competition above the earth, he said, quote, The Space Force now has on orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action, end quote. And apparently that language was no accident. When reporters pressed the secretary afterwards about whether he really intended to publicly acknowledge that the US already has weapons operating in space, he said the wording was, quote, Very well thought out. In other words, the Pentagon wanted the world to hear this, especially China and Russia. But what it doesn't want them to know is exactly what those weapons are. And no surprise, he wouldn't say how many systems are in orbit, where they're operating, or whether they're kinetic weapons capable of physically striking targets. And when the Pentagon uses the phrase, quote, space control, that can cover a very wide range of capabilities. We could be talking about systems designed to jam an enemy satellite or interfere with its communications. We could be talking about spacecraft capable of maneuvering close to another satellite and disabling it. There are also directed energy and electronic warfare systems that could potentially blind or disrupt or damage an adversary's equipment without blowing anything apart. And of course, there's always the possibility of blowing something apart, of a kinetic weapon designed to physically destroy a target. Right now, the Pentagon isn't saying. But whatever these systems are, the important point is that the US acknowledged their existence. And the reason Washington is finally talking about them is increasingly clear. China and Russia have spent years developing their own ability to threaten American satellites. As we've discussed here on the PDB, China has tested anti-satellite weapons and built highly maneuverable spacecraft capable of operating in close proximity to other satellites. American military officials have also warned that Chinese satellites have practiced increasingly sophisticated maneuvers in orbit, the kind of activity that's sometimes compared to dogfighting in space. And Russia has pursued its own counter-space weapons. US intelligence has previously warned that Moscow was working on an especially alarming capability, a nuclear anti-satellite weapon that could potentially threaten large numbers of satellites all at once. And that matters because the American military is extraordinarily dependent on space. GPS, secure communications, intelligence, surveillance, missile warnings, targeting, navigation for ships and aircraft, all of it depends heavily on satellites. Take down the satellites, and nearly every major American military operation becomes far more difficult. A future war with China, for example, may not begin with an attack on an American aircraft carrier or an Air Force base. It could begin hundreds or thousands of miles above the Earth, with an effort to blind the US before the first conventional shots are fired. And Washington is increasingly preparing for exactly that possibility. Just last week, US. Space Command conducted what was known as Apollo Maneuvers 2026, its first major live orbital maneuver exercise. Actual spacecraft were used to practice operating in a contested environment, essentially training American forces to maneuver satellites against a potential adversary in space.

One important distinction here, these are not necessarily the same systems being developed for President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program. Golden Dome calls for future space-based interceptors designed to help destroy incoming missiles.

The systems that the Air Force secretary revealed this week are reportedly already operational. China quickly criticized the announcement, well, of course, accusing Washington of contributing to the militarization and weaponization of outer space. There's a lack of self-awareness there on their part. American officials see it differently. Their argument is that China and Russia have already spent years building systems capable of threatening American satellites, and that deterrence only works if your adversary knows that you have the ability to respond.