The US Air Force is now "shifting to space as a warfighting domain," USAF Secretary Heather Wilson told the media on Thursday, November 9, according to RT.
"We are moving forward with modernization in space, so we’re increasing our lethality in all of our areas of endeavor," she stated.
"Everyone agrees that space needs to be integrated, normalized as a part of a joint warfighting effort. This year’s budget… The FY18 budget proposal increases what the Air Force is proposing to spend on space by 20 percent," Wilson declared.
General David Goldfein, USAF Chief of Staff, added that the US "expects its Air Force to own the high ground, the ultimate high ground and achieve space superiority which is like air superiority – freedom to attack and freedom to maneuver."
"And as we transition from a benign domain from which we monitor and report to a warfighting domain, this is a significant shift that we are leading as we go forward," Goldfein said.
While the Outer Space Treaty signed by the US and USSR in 1967 bars its signatories from stationing weapons of mass destruction in space, it does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit.
