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Submission + - Pentagon Acknowledges Weapons in Space, Must Prepare for War in Cislunar Space (defenseone.com)

Submitted by Koreantoast
Koreantoast writes: During the annual Air Force Association Air, Space, and Cyber Conference outside Washington D.C., senior U.S. military officials publicly acknowledged on-orbit weapons in orbit and laid out the need to be prepared for conflict out to cislunar space. In a speech to senior US Air Force and US Space Force officers, allied officers, and senior defense industry officials, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink acknowledged the orbital weapons in a speech, saying “Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist... This is why the United States now has, on orbit, space-control weapons, capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversaries.” In a separate speech, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged the expanding battlefield the U.S. military must be prepared to fight in: “Our task, my friends, is to adapt right now, so the Joint Force is prepared to fight, endure, and win, in global contested environments, from the seabed to cislunar space."

One article notes that "while top Space Force officials have provided few details about how U.S. forces would fight between the Earth and its moon, they have been vocal about adding sensors and capabilities to watch adversary movements there." Aaron Brynildson, a professor of space law at the University of Mississippi notes that US military officials are motivated by peer competitor activities, particularly China. “There’s a fear that recent Chinese activity on the moon and in cislunar space might outpace the United States,” Brynildson said. “China has a relay satellite in cislunar space and is performing robotic missions on the far side of the moon.” Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the head of Combat Forces Command at US Space Force, acknowledges that concern, saying “Our adversaries, our potential adversaries, such as the PRC, are actively pursuing activities in the cislunar parts of space. So that's sort of the expansion, if you will, of I would say the end zone, if you will, in the football game..."

Brynildson raises concerns about the current ambiguity around the lack of laws and policy governing space weapons. “It’s unclear what the legal restraints on the use of kinetic or non-kinetic weapons in space might be. The Outer Space Treaty doesn’t give us great answers to what factors a military action must consider,” he said. “The DoD Law of War Manual is also non-committal on the unique aspects of the space domain. At a minimum, general principles from the law of armed conflict would apply, such as only striking military-related satellites, avoiding collateral damage to civilians, etc... Ultimately, I think the first space conflict might be the time when most of these rules get written."

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