Fight on Earth? Take the battle to the Moon. The U.S. military admits deploying space weapons, explicitly naming China
The deployment of space weapons by the United States has now been acknowledged.
On Wednesday, senior U.S. military officials made high-profile remarks at an industry conference, publicly confirming for the first time the placement of space-based weapons in Earth orbit, and stating that future conflict zones may extend to the vicinity of the Moon, with a clear focus on competition with China.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that U.S. military operations must no longer be confined to Earth, but should also include near-Earth orbit and the lunar vicinity.
General John W. "Jay" Raymond, Commander of the U.S. Space Force, further elaborated that preparations are underway for potential operations in space and around the Moon, directly identifying China as the primary “threat” in this domain. With no advantage on Earth, the strategy appears to be securing early dominance by shifting the battlefield to the Moon—a calculated move indeed.
This statement is not without precedent. Earlier, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall had already acknowledged the presence of “on-orbit space control weapons,” though specific details remain classified.
According to disclosed U.S. military plans, the total size of the U.S. Space Force will expand to 25,000 personnel within the next five years, with two-thirds of the new personnel assigned to frontline combat units—indicating heightened readiness.
In response to these developments, China and Russia have issued prompt counterstatements. China’s Foreign Ministry explicitly opposed the weaponization of space, rejected the concept of space warfare, and urged the United States to immediately halt all related deployments and initiatives, calling for concrete actions to preserve peace in outer space.
Russia has gone further, announcing plans to introduce a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly aimed at advancing international treaties to prohibit the deployment of offensive weapons in space.
It bears emphasis that any escalation into a space arms race—or even a military confrontation in orbit—would pose catastrophic risks to humanity and Earth. The resulting debris could destroy critical satellites, including military, civilian navigation, and weather systems, ultimately affecting every person on the planet.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1876560693452999/
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