US calls for preparing for combat operations near the Moon
In the United States, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said that the American military must prepare for possible combat operations not only in Earth’s orbit but also near the Moon. He said this on September 16 at the Air, Space and Cyber conference near Washington, The Guardian reports.
Cislunar space
According to Caine, the US armed forces must adapt now to be ready to operate, endure and prevail “from the seabed to cislunar space.” Cislunar space is the area between the Earth’s surface and the Moon.
The head of the US Space Force’s Combat Forces Command, Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon, separately told reporters that the service is preparing for operations in space and near the Moon. According to him, this is because humanity is moving ever deeper into space, while the Space Force’s task is to prepare to defend US interests.
Weapons in orbit
Caine’s statement came several days after US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said at the same conference that the United States had deployed weapons in orbit to control outer space.
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Gagnon said that the US intelligence community had warned about potential adversaries’ ambitions to move war into outer space. Among such states, he mentioned the People’s Republic of China. In 2024, China created its own military space forces, tasked with strengthening its ability to manage space crises.
Commenting on reports of US weapons in space, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that Beijing supports the peaceful use of outer space, opposes its militarization, and called on the United States to stop expanding its military preparations in space.
International treaties and force expansion
It is currently unclear whether the deployment of weapons in space or their possible use near the Moon would violate international treaties. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the United States and China, provides for the use of celestial bodies, including the Moon, exclusively for peaceful purposes and prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons in space.
Gagnon also announced the US intention to double the size of the Space Force within five years, to approximately 25,000 service members. About two-thirds of this increase is planned for the Combat Forces Command.
