China and Russia warn of new arms race as US confirms it has weapons in space | BBC News

By BBC News

Community Score: 50% | 140.9K views | 4w

0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down

The US has confirmed it has deployed space weapons in Earth's orbit, the first time it has acknowledged such offensive capabilities. US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said the "on orbit" weapon was necessary to safeguard US forces against hostile enemy action. China responded by warning against an "arms race" in space. Its foreign ministry said: “We urge the US side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space.” Russia said the US action threatened what it called long-term stability in space-based activity. Its foreign ministry said: "In pursuit of its narrow self-interests, Washington is ready to completely ignore the catastrophic consequences for humanity of any armed conflict in orbit.” Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, Meink said the US was ready for "evolving threats", but did not elaborate on the weapon's capabilities or when it was put into orbit. Senior military leaders have previously said they planned t

Tags: bbc, bbc news, news, world news, breaking news, US, United, States, weapons, space, orbit, risk, threat, danger, confirmed, confirmation, Trump, President, Washington, Russia