America’s highest-ranking military officer, General Dan Caine, has urged US armed forces to prepare for future conflicts that could extend beyond Earth’s orbit into the space around the Moon.
Speaking on September 16 at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stressed that the military must adapt now to be able to “fight, endure and win” in a contested environment stretching “from the seabed to cislunar space.”
Caine warned that in future wars, American forces would be unable to count on secure rear areas, uninterrupted supplies or unchallenged access to combat zones. He emphasized that the demands already facing the military were practical realities rather than theoretical scenarios.
The general has previously expressed concern about growing threats in space. In written testimony for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in June 2025, he warned that China was rapidly developing capabilities to target satellites. These included ground-launched anti-satellite weapons, counterspace capabilities operating in orbit and advanced jamming systems.
In the same document, Caine stated that cooperation between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea had reached unprecedented levels. In his assessment, their expanding military, technological and economic ties represented a strategic shift for Washington.
He also linked Russia’s war against Ukraine to security threats beyond Europe. Caine warned that North Korean troops were gaining combat experience and improving their proficiency with weapons, including drones, while Moscow was supplying Pyongyang with advanced military technology.
