A top U.S. military officer said that America’s military needs to be ready to operate not just in Earth’s orbit, but also around the Moon.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior military adviser to President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday that future battlefields could reach from the ocean floor all the way to ‘cislunar space.’
“The Joint Force must adapt now so it is prepared to “fight, endure and win … from the seabed to cislunar space,” Caine told military personnel and defense industry leaders at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
Cislunar space usually means the large area between Earth and the Moon, including the space near the Moon itself.
Caine’s warning came only two days after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly confirmed that the United States has already launched what he called “space control weapons” into orbit.
This was one of the clearest times Washington has publicly admitted to putting a weapon in orbit. Meink did not reveal what the weapon is, when it was launched, or exactly how it works. He only said the systems are there to protect American forces from hostile actions.
The timing of the two announcements has underscored Washington’s stake in preparing for the kind of conflicts that could extend into space.
Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command, separately told reporters that the military is preparing for operations beyond Earth.
Gagnon stressed that “humanity is advancing deeper into space.” And that “Our potential adversaries such as the PRC are actively pursuing activities in the system, in parts of space,” he said. PRC stands for People’s Republic of China.
He said the United States is planning to double the size of the Space Force over the next five years, bringing it to about 25,000 personnel. “We 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 deterrence.”
The Pentagon did not say the United States plans to fight a war on the Moon. Caine’s comments were about cislunar space in general, and officials gave few details about what military operations there might look like.
However, this language shows that the military is expanding its idea of where future battles could take place.
Until now, space has mostly been used for satellites that handle communication, navigation, surveillance, and early warnings. Now, U.S. military planners see the area beyond Earth’s usual orbits as more important for strategy.
Defense officials said China has stepped up its activities in cislunar space by launching missions to the Moon and setting up a relay satellite there. China has also grown its space program and started a military space force in 2024.
But Beijing has said it does not want to put weapons in space. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said this week that China supports using outer space for peaceful purposes and opposes “the weaponization, militarization and an arms race in outer space.”
He urged the United States to stop increasing its military activities in space.
The US revelations have also raised questions about the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by both the United States and China. The treaty specifically says the Moon and other celestial bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, prohibiting nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction from being placed in orbit and barring military bases, weapons testing, and military maneuvers on celestial bodies.
The treaty does not, however, prohibit all military activity in space, a distinction that is increasingly important as nations develop systems designed to interfere with, disable, or defend against satellites.
Although U.S. officials said America has already put a weapon in orbit, they did not share any details.
Washington has not revealed details about its systems, but has made it clear that it wants to be ready for new competition beyond Earth.Caine also made it clear that the U.S. military plans to prepare for space conflicts before they happen. “Today’s modern battlefield operates from the seabed to cislunar space,” Caine said.
