US troops must prepare to fight around the moon, Trump’s top military adviser says

U.S. troops must brace for potential combat not just in Earth's orbit, but around the moon, according to President Donald Trump's top military adviser. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made this statement at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington, hinting at a new era of warfare as humanity ventures deeper into space.

The U.S. has recently deployed weapons in space, leading to concerns over the militarization of celestial bodies. The announcement follows the revelation that the U.S. military has fielded on-orbit space control weapons, a move that could potentially violate longstanding conventions and international agreements that prohibit the militarization of space.

While China has established its own military space troops and is actively pursuing activities in space, U.S. officials maintain that the military must be prepared to defend U.S. interests in space and around the moon. The U.S. Space Force, created by Trump in 2019, is set to play a key role in this new frontier, with plans to double its size to around 25,000 service members over the next five years.