by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Space Force plans to double in size over the next five years as America’s top military officer calls on U.S. forces to prepare for a battlefield that could extend to the space around the moon.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Wednesday that U.S. forces must be prepared to fight across contested environments “from the seabed to cislunar space.” The term describes space extending toward and around the moon. Caine did not announce an operation on the lunar surface.
His remarks followed another disclosure at the conference. On Monday, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States has weapons operating in orbit that can defend American forces against hostile action. He did not identify the systems or explain how they work. The acknowledgment gave new weight to the Space Force’s call for more people and greater combat readiness.
Growth aimed at combat readiness
Space Force leaders said Monday that the service must double within five years. Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, commander of Combat Forces Command, said about two-thirds of that growth would go to his command to field more combat crews and expand its capabilities. The service also plans more realistic training for personnel who may have to operate under attack.
The concern reaches far beyond a distant moon mission. American forces depend on satellites for communications, navigation, missile warning and other essential functions. Space Force leaders say potential adversaries are developing ways to threaten those systems and are pursuing activity farther from Earth.
There are limits to what this week’s statements establish. Officials have disclosed neither the nature of the orbital weapons nor a plan to deploy weapons near the moon. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in space, as well as military bases, weapons testing, and military maneuvers on the Moon and other celestial bodies.
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