US military must prepare to fight in space around Moon, Trump's top military adviser says

American troops need to prepare for combat not only in Earths orbit but around the moon President Donald Trumps top military adviser said Wednesday looking ahead to a new frontier in warfare after the US revealed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in spaceGen Dan Caine chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told service members and industry figures at the Air Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington that the US military should adapt now so it is prepared to fight endure and win from the seabed to cislunar spaceSpace Force the newest military service which was created by Trump in 2019 is preparing to fight in space and around the moon because humanity is advancing deeper into space the Space Forces job is to help be prepared to defend US interests Lt Gen Gregory Gagnon head of the forces Combat Forces Command told reporters separatelyThe announcement that the US military is ready to fight in the area between high Earth orbit and the moon itself comes days after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed at the same conference that the US has fielded onorbit space control weaponsThe spate of announcements about space weaponry from military officials over recent days flies in the face of longstanding conventions and international understandings that have held outer space as only to be used for peaceful purposes and remain nonmilitarizedSpace Force says potential US foes may look to turn space into a battlegroundWhile multiple nations including the US have demonstrated the ability to shoot down satellites in Earth orbit those demonstrations have taken place from the ground against their own satellitesHowever according to Gagnon the intelligence community has been clear that potential adversaries have been seeking to extend warfare into space and that the US military needs to reactOur potential adversaries such as the PRC are actively pursuing activities in the system in parts of space Gagnon said referring to the Peoples Republic of China the countrys official nameChina established its own military space troops in 2024 charging them with boosting capability to manage space crisesWhen asked about the US announcement on deploying weapons in space Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters Tuesday that China always upholds the peaceful use of outer space maintains outer space security and opposes the weaponization militarization and an arms race in outer spaceGuo also urged the US to stop expanding its military preparations in outer spaceIt is not clear whether deploying weapons in space or possible plans to use them around the moon will run afoul of international treaties that prevent the militarization of spaceTreaty signed by the US says space is for peaceful purposesThe Outer Space Treaty of 1967 which the US and China have signed says celestial objects such as the moon are to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes nuclear weapons cannot be placed in space and countries are liable for damage caused by their space objectsThere was a renewed push two years ago to further bolster antimilitarization measures in the United Nations following US reports that Russia was developing a spacebased weaponRussia vetoed a joint USJapanese resolution that would have called on 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 resolution to ban all weapons in space for all time also ultimately failedWhen asked about the 1967 treaty and other similar obligations Gagnon said the US Space Force will continue to execute safe and responsible space operations in all the reaches of spaceHowever he would not say what Space Force or overall US military policy was on the use of weapons like bullets or projectiles in space He directed questions to the Pentagon which did not immediately respond to a message seeking commentGagnon also says the US aims to double the size of the Space Force over the next five years to roughly 25000 service members and that about twothirds of that growth would be focused on Combat Forces CommandWe have capabilities in the military because we are preparing to defend the nation Gagnon said The reason we have the capabilities is to help create deterrenceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever