U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess has publicly described a Guardian in the Middle East using an electromagnetic weapon system during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, the first widely reported disclosure that Space Force personnel delivered non-kinetic space effects in the campaign. The remarks, delivered at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, pointed to an operational role for the service in a high-intensity conflict while leaving the weapon, target and effect undisclosed.
The account centred on a member of the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment operating in theatre with U.S. Central Command forces. Schiess framed the capability as part of the Space Force’s contribution to contested operations, but the disclosure stopped short of identifying whether the effect was space-based, airborne or terrestrial. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink separately confirmed that the U.S. now has on-orbit space control weapons, broadening the public picture of American space warfare capabilities without revealing technical details.
The limited disclosure appears designed to signal capability and deterrence while preserving operational security. For the defence and aerospace sectors, the remarks offer one of the clearest public indications yet that the Space Force is being used in real-world combat support roles involving electromagnetic warfare.