"From Seabed To Cislunar Space": US Military Prepares For War Around Moon

The US military is preparing for a future in which battles could extend beyond Earth's orbit and into the region around the Moon, as Washington steps up its focus on space warfare.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US military must adapt now to be ready for combat in an increasingly contested space environment.

Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington on Wednesday, Caine said US forces should be prepared to "fight, endure and win ... from the seabed to cislunar space".

Cislunar space refers to the region between Earth and the Moon. The US military says preparing for that area is becoming increasingly important as nations develop the ability to operate farther into space.

The US Space Force, created under US President Donald Trump in 2019, is already preparing for potential operations around the Moon.

Lt Gen Gregory Gagnon, who heads the Space Force's combat forces command, said the service has to prepare for the changing nature of warfare as human activity moves deeper into space.

"Humanity is advancing deeper into space - the space force's job is to help be prepared to defend US interests," Gagnon told reporters separately.

His comments came just days after US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink disclosed that the US military had deployed "on-orbit space control weapons".

The Space Force has said potential adversaries could seek to turn space into a battlefield.

Several countries, including the US, have demonstrated the ability to destroy satellites in Earth orbit. Such tests, however, have involved weapons launched from the ground against their own satellites.

Gagnon said the US intelligence community had warned that potential adversaries were looking to expand military operations into space.

"The intelligence community has been clear that potential adversaries have been seeking to extend warfare into space," he said.

"Our potential adversaries such as the PRC are actively pursuing activities in the system, in parts of space," Gagnon added, referring to the People's Republic of China.

China has also been expanding its military space capabilities. Beijing established its own military space troops in 2024, with the force tasked with strengthening its ability to respond to space-related crises.

Asked about Washington's disclosure that it had deployed weapons in space, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing opposed turning outer space into another arena for military competition.

"China always upholds the peaceful use of outer space, maintains outer space security and opposes the weaponisation, militarisation and an arms race in outer space," he told reporters on Tuesday.