AFA 2026: On-orbit space control weapons part of larger USSF deterrence strategy

A Space X Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, Feb. 14, 2024. (US Space Force )

US Space Force (USSF) officials outlined in further detail the strategy around on-orbit space control weapons capabilities at the 2026 Air and Space Force Association Air Space and Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The nature of the on-orbit weapons capability announced by US Air Force (USAF) Secretary Troy Meinck on 14 September 2026 is still unclear, but USAF and USSF officials offered greater context on how on-orbit space control weapons could be applied to USSF doctrine.

Erich Hernandez-Baquero, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, told reporters during a 15 September media roundtable that the space control weapons represent just one component of “a full spectrum of capabilities” that form a USSF deterrence strategy.

“We have an obligation to protect the space domain and protect our joint force and we've chosen to do that through a strategy of deterrence,” he said, outlining three core tenets of deterrence.

“One is you must have a credible way to impart harm on a would-be adversary. You must be able to deny the adversary the benefit of inflicting harm on you and third, you must communicate,” he explained.

Hernandez-Baquero told Janes that communication involves striking “a balance between what you say and what you protect, because ultimately, if you convey everything that you have, then you're now vulnerable because they know exactly how to defeat you”.

He added that communication must be “thoughtful, right, and deliberate” to make any potential adversary “deter, reflect and rethink their calculus for any aggressive action they might take” .