The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kin, confirmed that the U.S. military must be prepared to confront potential adversaries not only on land and in its orbit but also in "the space extending between Earth and the moon."
Kin stated during the "Aerospace Forces" conference in Maryland, which was covered by the "News Video Agency," that U.S. forces must adapt to the nature of future battlefields so that the joint force is capable of "fighting, enduring, and achieving victory in contested environments from the seabed to the surrounding space of the moon."
The "Defense One" portal indicates that Kin's call means that U.S. forces must be prepared for war "near the moon, or perhaps even on the moon's surface itself."
Kin mentioned that the "Space Force" needs to enhance "its combat capabilities," noting that the United States is currently facing "real and determined adversaries who are developing and building systems to rapidly challenge space targets."
According to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, space forces possess "orbital weapons to defend against attacks launched from space."
Kin also revealed that the "Space Force" trained earlier this year to counter a space threat and demonstrated "the ability to launch (systems) and respond to a threat in orbit on demand within just 17 hours."
The general added, "If an adversary targets the U.S. Space Force, we have the capability to respond quickly, and we will continue to work to become faster and faster."
Kin's statements come days after U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Mink publicly announced for the first time that the United States possesses "space control weapons" in orbit, without disclosing their nature or detailed capabilities.
Mink stated that these systems can protect U.S. forces from potential hostile actions in space.
In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted that Mink's comments regarding Washington's possession of "orbital weapons" are direct evidence that the United States is implementing plans to deploy weapons in space.
She emphasized that Russia believes it is essential to take practical and urgent measures to prevent an arms race in outer space.