US Military Told to Prepare for Combat Around the Moon
The US military's top officer says troops must prepare to fight in cislunar space, days after Washington revealed it has deployed weapons in orbit.
American forces must be ready to fight not only in Earth's orbit but in the vast region around the moon, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday, days after Washington disclosed for the first time that it has placed weapons in space.
Gen. Dan Caine told service members and industry representatives at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington that the military needs to adapt now so that it is prepared to fight, endure and win "from the seabed to cislunar space."
His remarks came after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the same gathering that the United States has fielded "on-orbit space control weapons" — an announcement that, together with the latest comments, appears to challenge long-standing international conventions holding that outer space should be used only for peaceful purposes.
Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, who heads the Space Force's Combat Forces Command, said separately that the newest branch of the US military — created in 2019 — is preparing to operate in space and around the moon because humanity is advancing deeper into space and the force must be ready to defend American interests.
Gagnon said the intelligence community has been clear that potential adversaries are seeking to extend warfare into space, and that the US military must respond. He named China, saying it is actively pursuing activities in parts of space. Beijing established its own military space force in 2024, tasked with improving its ability to manage space crises.
Asked about the US announcement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China has always upheld the peaceful use of outer space and opposes its weaponization, militarization and an arms race there. He also urged Washington to stop expanding its military preparations in space.
It remains unclear whether deploying weapons in orbit, or possible plans to use them around the moon, would conflict with international treaties that bar the militarization of space. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, signed by both the US and China, states that celestial bodies such as the moon are to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, prohibits placing nuclear weapons in space and makes countries liable for damage caused by their space objects.
Two years ago, momentum grew at the United Nations for stronger anti-militarization measures after US reports that Russia was developing a space-based weapon. Moscow vetoed a joint US-Japanese resolution that would have urged all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction in space, as banned under the treaty. A rival Russian proposal to ban all weapons in space "for all time" also failed.
Gagnon said the Space Force will continue to carry out safe and responsible space operations across all reaches of space, but declined to say what policy governs the use of weapons such as bullets or projectiles in orbit, referring questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He also said the US aims to roughly double the size of the Space Force over the next five years, to about 25,000 service members, with around two-thirds of that growth concentrated in Combat Forces Command. The capabilities the military holds exist to help defend the nation and create deterrence, he said.