Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has told the US military to get ready for fighting in orbit and around the moon. His remarks came during the Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington on Wednesday, and they mark a step toward treating the space above Earth as a combat zone.
Caine’s words were blunt. He said American troops need to prepare for combat in Earth’s orbit and around the moon, telling attendees the US military should adapt so it “is prepared to fight, endure and win … from the seabed to cislunar space.” Cislunar space describes the region between Earth’s surface and the moon.
The remarks come as the Space Force, created by Trump in 2019, prepares for combat in space and on the lunar surface. Lt Gen Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command, told reporters separately that the Space Force is preparing for space and lunar combat because “humanity is advancing deeper into space – the Space Force’s job is to help be prepared to defend US interests.”
Space Force Plans
Gagnon said “the intelligence community has been clear that potential adversaries have been seeking to extend warfare into space” and that the US military needs to react. He specifically referred to the PRC (People’s Republic of China) as an adversary pursuing activities in space.
The Space Force is growing fast. Gagnon says the US aims to double the size of the Space Force to roughly 25,000 service members over the next five years, with about two-thirds of that growth focused on Combat Forces Command.
The conference also heard from Air force secretary Troy Meink, who revealed days before Caine’s remarks that the US has fielded “on-orbit space control weapons.” That admission adds weight to the idea that the US is moving beyond simple surveillance and into active engagement in space.
China’s Response
China has its own plans for space. It established its own military space troops in 2024 to boost capability to manage space crises. But the Chinese foreign ministry responded quickly to the US deployments.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said 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 space.” Guo urged the US to “stop expanding its military preparations in outer space.”
The two sides are talking past each other. The US says China is extending warfare into space; China says the US is the one militarizing the final frontier.
Treaty Limits
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the US and China, says celestial objects like 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 objects.” That treaty has not stopped the current competition.
Multiple nations, including the US, have shown they can shoot down satellites from the ground against their own satellites. The question is who will use that capability next.
The Companies Behind the Systems
Wars run on funding, and space programs cost billions. The companies building these systems want contracts; the governments want influence. The people paying for all of this have no lobbyist.
The US Space Force says China is extending warfare into space; China urges the US to stop expanding military preparations there. Each side frames the other as the threat to peace; each gains political advantage from the other’s position.
The reader should ask who decides when space becomes a battlefield. The answer is not clear, and the two sides are not cooperating to find one.
What the Treaty Says
- Celestial objects like the moon are to be used “exclusively for peaceful purposes”
- Nuclear weapons cannot be placed in space
- Countries are “liable for damage caused by their space objects”
The treaty has not stopped the current competition, and there is no sign either side wants to slow down.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs diplomacy and compromise over military posturing, and is against treating the space above Earth as a combat zone. Gen Dan Caine’s comments at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference mark a step toward turning that space into a battleground, and the paper is against it.
The Space Force’s rapid growth, the admission of “on-orbit space control weapons,” and the talk of fighting in orbit and on the moon all point toward a new military order in space. The paper’s position is clear: keep the channels open for trade, diplomacy and compromise, and avoid foreign entanglements. Turning space into a combat zone is a step the paper rejects.
China’s response deserves attention too. Its foreign ministry has condemned the militarization of space, urging the US to stop expanding military preparations there. That is the position of a country that does not want space turned into a battlefield. The paper agrees with that view.
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