The United States armed forces must be prepared to conduct combat operations not only in near-Earth orbit but also in the vicinity of the Moon. This was stated by General Dan Caine, who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to infohub.kz.
According to him, the US must be ready to fight and win 21st-century wars "on the Moon or in the vicinity of the Moon." The general made this statement at a conference on aviation, space, and cybersecurity held in Maryland.
"The US Space Force must ensure unconditional superiority in space, as well as maintain the relevant networks, space domain awareness, and information advantage that the joint force needs to win in space — both now and in the future," The Washington Times quoted him as saying.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized that dominance in space, where satellites are located, is vital to the armed forces' ability to communicate and operate worldwide.
It is worth noting that a few days earlier, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated that the US now has space weapons deployed in orbit. In addition, it has become known that the US is developing a network of space-based missiles that are expected to become part of the future Golden Dome missile defense system.