The United States acknowledged for the first time publicly, on Monday, that it had deployed weapons in space, in a remarkable shift in a policy that Washington had followed for decades, during which it avoided talking explicitly about weaponizing orbit. The American revelation raised questions about the military competition with China and Russia entering a new phase in which space becomes a potential arena for direct confrontation, and not just a platform for communications, surveillance, and early warning.
On Tuesday, China was quick to demand that the United States “stop preparing for war” in space, warning against igniting a new arms race. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun said: “We urge the American side to stop expanding its military capabilities and prepare for war in outer space.”
US Air Force Secretary Troy Mink announced on Monday that the United States now has weapons for space control in orbit, capable of defending US forces against any hostile move. The announcement came during the annual conference of the Air and Space Forces Association in National Harbor near Washington. Mink declined to reveal the type or number of these weapons or the orbits in which they operate when he was asked about it, stressing that the choice of his words was carefully considered.
US Space Force
President Donald Trump praised the “US Space Force,” which he established in 2019 as part of the Air Force, describing it as a historic step to strengthen American defense capabilities in light of an escalating arms race, as both China and Russia challenge American dominance in space.
The US Space Force indicates on its website that “China is developing and operating space and counter-space capabilities as part of its military modernization strategy,” while “Russia views space as an arena for combat operations, and believes that space superiority will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”
Air & Space Forces magazine described the announcement as the Pentagon's clearest acknowledgment to date that the United States possesses offensive capabilities operating in space, while Breaking Defense, which specializes in military affairs, said it was the first public acknowledgment by an American official that Washington had deployed weapons systems orbiting the Earth. As for the Financial Times, it linked the American revelation to the accelerating expansion of Chinese and Russian military programs in orbit.
Intentional ambiguity
Washington did not disclose the nature of the weapons, and experts believe that this ambiguity is deliberate. The term “space control” in American military doctrine is broad, and includes the defense of American and allied satellites, as well as offensive capabilities to disable the opponent’s space systems or deprive him of their use. Therefore, the declaration does not necessarily mean the deployment of conventional missiles or missiles in orbit.
Specialists believe that American capabilities include means of jamming communications and deceiving signals, or laser beams that can confuse sensors on enemy satellites. Such weapons allow the disabling of a satellite without exploding it, and avoid the production of huge quantities of space debris that could also threaten American satellites.
The decision to reveal these capabilities carries a strategic significance in itself. Washington is moving from a policy of ambiguity to what can be described as “declared deterrence,” based on the fact that China and Russia have been developing capabilities to attack or disable American satellites for years, and that demonstrating the United States’ ability to respond could make its opponents more cautious. But critics warn of the opposite outcome; That is, the announcement will accelerate Moscow and Beijing's programs and turn the current competition into a declared space arms race.
American-Chinese race
Reuters revealed in early September the extent of the acceleration of American-Chinese competition in space. In June, a secret Chinese unmanned space plane launched a small satellite that performed complex maneuvers near another Chinese satellite before returning toward the space plane.
In contrast, the United States operates a similar secret military space plane, according to reports. The agency indicated that the two countries are developing what resemble “hunter satellites,” capable of approaching and maneuvering around other spacecraft. These capabilities can be used for peaceful purposes, but they gain military importance in the event that a future war extends into orbit.
The American disclosure coincided with the Space Command’s conduct, this month, of the first actual combat maneuver training in orbit under the name “Apollo Manovers 2026,” during which it tested moving vehicles in a coordinated manner across different orbits and working with allies in a contested space environment.
The Washington Post observed this shift within the Space Force, noting that space war does not necessarily mean destroying satellites. The goal may be to disrupt its signals, disrupt communications and navigation, or deprive the opponent of the images and targeting data that his forces on the ground need.
US Vice President J.D. Vance's speech in Kansas turned into a confrontation with a demonstrator, after the protester interrupted his speech with a chant targeting Republican Senator Roger Marshall and his record of suing patients for medical debts. While security personnel were taking the demonstrator out of the hall, Vance accused him of lying and defended Marshall, in an incident reminiscent of a similar incident that occurred a few days ago in Dallas, during the Republican convention for the midterm elections.
In detail, a demonstrator interrupted J.D. Vance’s speech during an election event in Kansas in support of Republican Senator Roger Marshall, before security intervened to remove him from the hall amid chants in support of Vance and the United States.
The boycott came after the demonstrator chanted, referring to Marshall: “He is suing his patients!”, in protest against the record of the senator, who worked as a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology before entering the Senate.
A protester confronts Vance over suing patients
The New York Times reported that Marshall filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills, and 81 of them ended up being arrested after they failed to attend court hearings related to the debts.
When Marshall was asked about the issue during Saturday's debate, he said, according to the Kansas City Star, that he used "common business practices."
But Vance accused the protester of lying about the senator, before indicating his presence to the audience, saying: “I see we have a man protesting.”
The crowd met the demonstrator with boos and chants of “United States,” while security personnel took him out of the place.
Vance defends Marshall and accuses the pretender of lying
Vance said the protester decided to come to the event to "lie" about Marshall, calling the senator his "very good friend."
He added that Marshall "stood alongside ordinary Americans every day" since he entered the Senate.
But Vance's comments came despite Marshall and his office confirming that he had already sued patients for medical debt, an issue the protester raised during the vice president's speech.
Not for the first time... Vance expels a protester in Dallas
The Kansas incident was not the first time Vance had confronted a protester during a political event in recent days.
In Dallas, during the Republican convention for the midterm elections in September, a demonstrator interrupted Vance's speech while waving the Mexican flag, and he was also carrying the Palestinian flag. The demonstrator attracted the attention of the Vice President, before security intervened to remove him from the hall.
Vance responded to the protester, saying, in reference to his attachment to Mexico, that if he loved it that much he could go there, and offered to pay for his plane ticket. He also described him as an “idiot,” according to Wall Street Journal coverage.
The Dallas incident, and then the Kansas incident, brought to light Vance's handling of boycotts and protests during political events in which he addressed Republican voters.
Russian businessman Omar Kremlev, who is linked to President Vladimir Putin, financed private celebrations held in the Bahamas following the wedding of Donald Trump Jr. to Bettina Anderson earlier this year, according to American reports.
The Wall Street Journal said that Omar Kremlev, the Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Federation, financed two nights of celebrations that followed the wedding of Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson last May.
Anderson described the funding as a generous gift from a friend, stressing that the marriage ceremony itself was family and private, and explained that Kremlev hosted post-wedding celebrations on two private islands.
US President Donald Trump did not attend the wedding or celebrations, explaining his absence by saying that he was forced to stay in Washington because of the talks related to the war on Iran.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars
According to ProPublica, Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renting a private island that cost about $100,000 a night, in addition to displaying fireworks and helping to organize events.
About 50 people participated in the celebrations, including members of the Trump family, while Kremlev and a group of Russian figures attended, most of whom did not appear in the photos published by the family later.
The coverage indicated that Kremlev has close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and heads the International Boxing Federation, whose funding is linked to the Russian state company Gazprom.
Putin also awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship in April, and he was part of a delegation that accompanied the Russian President during his visit to China before the wedding.
Ukraine imposed sanctions on Kremlev because of his links to the Kremlin, while in 2023 the International Olympic Committee withdrew its recognition of the sports federation he heads, citing problems related to governance and sources of funding.
“A wedding gift from a friend”
The couple confirmed that Kremlev provided the costs for two nights of celebrations as a generous “wedding gift” from a friend, while US President Donald Trump denied knowing the Russian businessman, and First Lady Melania Trump distanced herself from organizing the wedding or its financial arrangements.
The couple confirmed, in a statement posted on Instagram, that Omar Kremlev paid for two nights of celebrations that followed the wedding, which were held on isolated Bahamian islands.
“It was an exceptionally generous wedding gift from a friend, and we are extremely grateful for it, and continue to be,” the couple wrote in the statement, which was accompanied by photos showing President Trump’s adult children and their friends celebrating after the wedding.
The couple said that they got married in a small ceremony limited to family members, and then celebrated with a larger group of invitees. They explained that the trip to the Bahamas, which Kremlev financed, was planned in advance and was not originally scheduled to be a wedding celebration.
كريمليف أثار تساؤلات بين ضيوف الحفل
One person familiar with the matter told the New York Times that Kremlev stood out during the after-wedding party; إذ تساءل بعض ضيوف ترمب عن هويته وسبب وجوده هناك.
After ProPublica published its report on the payments made by Kremlev, Trump and his new wife, Bettina Trump, published a statement on Instagram in which they acknowledged receiving the gifts.
They said that the trip to the island was part of a “pre-planned weekend” with friends, and was not related to their wedding ceremony, although some ethics experts said that this distinction did not change anything. كما قدما علاقتهما بكريمليف، الذي لم يحضر مراسم الزفاف، باعتبارها مجرد صداقة.
The statement read: “Our dear friend Omar very generously hosted two wonderful nights of celebrations for us after our wedding. وكانت هدية زفاف سخية للغاية من صديق، ونحن ممتنان لها للغاية، ولا نزال كذلك».
Trump and his wife added: “It is unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be re-presented as political or suspicious simply because of the identity of the person or where it came from. الصداقة لا تتطلب دافعاً سياسياً، والكرم لا يأتي تلقائياً مع أجندة. وأحياناً تكون هدية الزفاف مجرد هدية زفاف».
Trump denies knowing Kremlev
When the president was asked on Monday whether he knew that Kremlev helped pay for the after-wedding party, the White House provided The New York Times with a statement from the president in which he said: “I have no idea who Omar is, nor have I ever heard of him, and he did not pay for Don and Bettina’s wedding, which was held in a completely different place and on a different day.”
The president added: “This was a later ceremony held in their honor. It's not a big deal!
A spokesman for Eric Trump, brother of Donald Trump Jr., who attended the wedding, said: “Eric has absolutely no idea who this person is.”
Trump Jr. and Kremlev's relationship
A spokesman for Trump, who runs an extensive business with international ties, said the two men were not in a business partnership. He explained that the two men met through a mutual friend, adding that they grew closer because of their common interest in boxing and hunting.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Kremlev is working to expand the influence of the International Boxing Association (IBA), which he has headed since 2020, and has held a number of meetings with Donald Trump Jr. since President Trump came to power.
وبدأ كريمليف ممارسة الملاكمة في مسقط رأسه سيربوخوف، جنوب موسكو.
Last year, Kremlev sat next to Donald Trump Jr. during a discussion session at a conference held in Istanbul, in which Rashida Ali Walsh, the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, also participated.
The International Boxing Federation said in a statement after the conference: “President Kremlev and Donald Trump Jr. made it clear that this alliance will not remain symbolic.”
من «ذئاب الليل» إلى أروقة الكرملين
Ukraine imposed sanctions on Kremlev over his links to Putin, accusing him of acting as a conduit for Russian influence.
The Russian businessman has gained fame in the world of boxing since he assumed the presidency of the International Boxing Federation. He relaunched the organization's identity, and often placed himself at the heart of its activities.
Kremlev sparked controversy shortly after assuming the presidency of the union, when he changed its name and logo, and began a partnership with Gazprom, which became the union's largest sponsor.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Kremlev’s association with Kremlin-related politics began after he joined the “Night Wolves,” the most prominent motorcycle club in Russia.
Kremlev was wearing a leather jacket bearing the colors of the Russian flag, participated in promotional activities for the club, and met Alexei Robzhny, who was also a fan of boxing.
وأليكسي روبجني مسؤول أمني روسي بارز، وكان يشغل منصب رئيس جهاز أمن بوتين.
The two men left the Night Wolves around the same period and joined the Russian Boxing Federation, which became more closely linked to politics during Putin's era.
ولا يزال الاثنان صديقين، وينشران صوراً تجمعهما بملابس الملاكمة عبر الإنترنت.
