Kathrine Frich
The Space Force plans to double its size over the next five years.
For centuries, military leaders fought over patches of dirt and stretches of ocean.
Then they took to the skies.
Now, planners are looking even further up, realising the next great battlefield might not be on our planet at all.
Beyond the sky
President Donald Trump’s top military adviser says American troops must get ready for combat around the moon. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently outlined this massive shift in strategy.
According to Daily Express, he told a military conference that the armed forces need to adapt immediately. Caine stated that the military must adapt so it “is prepared to fight, endure and win … from the seabed to cislunar space”.
That last term simply means the vast area between Earth and the moon. Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force Combat Forces Command, agrees completely with the assessment.
He stated that “the Space Force’s job is to help be prepared to defend US interests,” as daily life expands outward.
Weapons in orbit
Countries have known how to shoot down satellites from the ground for years. But the hardware is moving into the stars.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink recently told a conference near Washington that the US has deployed “on-orbit space control weapons”, according to the Daily Express.
Foreign rivals are making similar moves. Intelligence agencies are currently tracking these new off-world threats closely to prepare a response.
Gagnon explained that “the intelligence community has been clear that potential adversaries have been seeking to extend warfare into space”.
Growing the ranks
He pointed a finger directly at China. “Our potential adversaries, such as the PRC, are actively pursuing activities in the system, in parts of space,” he added.
To handle these new pressures, the Space Force plans to double its size over the next five years. Planners want to reach 25,000 service members, with most joining the Combat Forces Command.
Gagnon declined to discuss whether the military plans to fire actual bullets or projectiles in orbit. He insisted that the Space Force “will continue to execute safe and responsible space operations in all the reaches of space”.
“We have capabilities in the military because we are preparing to defend the nation. The reason we have the capabilities is to help create deterrence,” Gagnon concluded.
Sources: Daily Express
