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. Guide, let's get briefed. First up, forget about theoretical arguments about the weaponization of space. The US is 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, D.C. 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 press 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, 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. It's 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 at 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. All right, coming up next. We've talked about the growing concern over potential shortages of critical munitions of the US arsenal here on the PDB. Now, the Pentagon's own inspector general is echoing those concerns. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with an important message for homeowners. Now, one of the most frustrating things about owning a home is that made your repairs never happen at a convenient time, right? 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You work too hard to be stuck in uncomfortable boots that don't hold up. So they built something better. It's that simple. Boots that are insanely comfortable and built for any job site. For a limited time, our PDB listeners get $10 off at Brunt when you use code PDB at checkout. Just head on over to bruntworkwear.com, use the code PDB and you're good to go. And after you order, they'll ask where you heard about Brunt. Do me a favor. Tell them the PDB sent you. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. We now have a price tag for the opening months of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. Iran conflict, and beyond the billions of dollars spent, the Pentagon's own watchdog is also wanting that the war has left the U.S. with shortfalls in its munitions. In mandatory reporting to Congress, the Department of War's Inspector General estimates that the war cost roughly $33 billion between 28th February and the end of June. And about two-thirds of that went reportedly towards munitions. The U.S. fired an estimated $22 billion worth of weapons in just over four months. According to the Inspector General, that expenditure has resulted in "strategic inventory shortfalls" and exposed "industrial-based bottlenecks" for munitions resupply. That's notable because it comes after months of the Trump administration pushing back on concerns that the war was draining America's weapons stockpiles. Just two weeks ago, President Trump said America has "virtually unlimited amounts of mid-to-high grade ammunition, far more than we could ever use for this or for any other war," while saying also that the U.S. is producing munitions at "levels never seen before." And we've heard similar assurances from the Pentagon, with top officials also denying claims that the U.S. was facing munitions shortages before this report from the IG was released. So, what does the Inspector General's warning actually mean? It doesn't necessarily mean that the U.S. is about to run out of key munitions. A senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies was asked by CBS News whether America has enough weapons to see the Iran war through. His answer was "for a war against Iran," the answer is "yes." That's quite the caveat. The bigger concern is over the potential for another conflict breaking out, particularly, of course, with China. In the Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis,
The U.S. would likely have enough munitions for the first month, however, keeping those supplies flowing for months, two, three, four, or more would be much more difficult. Modern missiles can take months or years to manufacture, relying on specialized materials, complicated supply chains, and production lines that can't simply double their output overnight. One example is the Patriot Interceptor, a munition that you've heard me mention many times here on the PDB. Lockheed Martin is currently producing roughly 750 Patriots a year with each missile costing around $4 million, give or take a few dollars. Those missiles are designed to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, exactly the kind of threat that American forces and their allies have endured from the Islamic Republic. While Secretary of War or Defense Pete Eggset has rejected claims that the U.S. is running low on munitions, he is still pushing the defense industry to accelerate production, so the military can replenish what it's using, build its stockpiles, and keep up the pressure on Iran. But I want to point out that the Pentagon IG's report details more than just munitions shortfalls. The Inspector General says four American F-15s and as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been destroyed during the conflict, while 1F-35 and 7K-C-135 aerial refueling tankers have been damaged. Iranian strikes also damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. We still don't know how much that damage will cost, and the Pentagon has not determined whether all those facilities will be rebuilt or will ultimately pay for some of the repairs. But the State Department has put the damage to American diplomatic facilities that roughly $184 million across Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Needless to say, although I'm about to say it, it will be interesting to hear the White House's response to this IG report from the Pentagon. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 15 September. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at
[email protected]. And to listen to the show, add free, you can do that. It's very, very simple. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDBpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Now, host of the president's daily brief, and as you may know, dog lover. That's right, we've got two great dogs. Amonti is our cute but slightly dim-witted King Charles Spaniel, and Hendrix, the Wonder Dog. He's a golden retriever, who also, well, frankly qualifies as, has a little bit dim. But if you're like me, you want to make sure your pets get the best nutrition possible. And that's why I love Sundays for dogs. I want to tell you about Sundays. Sundays uses real human grade meat with no fillers or synthetic additives. Sundays recipes contain 80% all-natural meat, gently air-dried, never-high-heat processed. There's no chemicals, it's just simple nutrition. It's vet-founded by Dr. Tory Waxman. Sundays is effortless, too. It says no fridge, there's no freezer, there's no mess, he just scoop and serve. You get the quality of a home-cooked meal with the ease of kibble. Over 100,000 dogs are now eating Sundays with great results, shinier coats, better digestion, and more energy. That all sounds great, doesn't it? Make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to Sun Days for Dogs dot com slash PDB and get 30% off your first order. Or you can use code PDB at checkout. That's 30% off your first order at sundays for dogs dot com slash PDB. Again, Sundays for dogs dot com slash PDB or just use code PDB at checkout.
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