The United States military is preparing to extend its operational capabilities beyond Earth’s orbit to include the region between the Earth and the moon, known as cislunar space, according to senior U.S. defense officials. This development marks a significant expansion of military focus into deeper space, underscoring evolving strategic priorities amid concerns over the militarization of space.
Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under former President Donald Trump, addressed service members and defense industry representatives on Wednesday at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference near Washington, emphasizing the need for the U.S. armed forces to be ready to "fight, endure and win" across all domains—from the seabed to cislunar space. This statement highlights a shift in military doctrine to encompass potential conflicts not only in Earth's immediate orbital vicinity but also in the broader space environment around the moon.
The U.S. Space Force, created in 2019 during the Trump administration as the newest branch of the armed forces, is central to these plans. Lt Gen Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command, told reporters that as humanity ventures more deeply into space, the force’s mission includes defending American interests in these extended arenas. Recently, the Air Force Secretary Troy Meink disclosed that the U.S. has deployed "on-orbit space control weapons," confirming for the first time the presence of weapons systems in space.
These announcements come amid longstanding international agreements, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which designates space and celestial bodies like the moon for peaceful purposes. The treaty prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit and holds nations liable for damages caused by their space activities. The recent U.S. disclosures about space weaponry have raised questions about compliance with these frameworks and sparked concerns over a potential arms race beyond Earth.
Lt Gen Gagnon cited intelligence indicating that rival nations, specifically naming the People’s Republic of China, are actively advancing their own military operations in space. China established its own space force in 2024 with the stated aim of managing crises in space and enhancing national security capabilities. In response to U.S. statements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reaffirmed China’s commitment to peaceful uses of outer space and opposed the weaponization and militarization of the domain, urging the U.S. to halt its expanding military space activities.
Gagnon also announced the U.S. plans to roughly double the size of the Space Force within five years, aiming for about 25,000 personnel, with a significant portion devoted to enhancing combat capabilities. This expansion reflects an acknowledgment within the Pentagon of the increasing importance of space in national defense strategy as technological advances and great power competition elevate space as a potential theater of conflict.