Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has warned any nations contemplating anti-satellite weapons tests like the one India carried out Wednesday that they risk making a "mess" in space because of debris fields they can leave behind.
Speaking to reporters in Florida during a visit to the U.S. military's Southern Command, Shanahan said the United States was still studying the outcome of a missile India said it launched at one of its own satellites.
"My message would be: We all live in space, let's not make it a mess. Space should be a place where we can conduct business. Space is a place where people should have the freedom to operate," Shanahan said.