US General warns: conflict in space would put all countries on the front lines

General Chance Saltzman, who will step down as head of the United States Space Force in August, used his final public speech as Chief of Space Operations to warn the international community about the impossibility of any nation remaining aloof from a potential armed conflict in Earth's orbit. The statement was made during the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference, held on July 15, 2026.

According to the military official, the dynamics of the orbital environment eliminate the possibility of safe zones. "Unlike a combat zone in the air, on land, or at sea, we will not be able to stay away," he stated. Saltzman explained that the concentration of thousands of spacecraft in certain orbital inclinations means that the destruction of a single satellite generates clouds of debris capable of hitting assets from multiple countries, including crewed missions.

As a concrete example, he cited the anti-satellite test carried out by Russia in 2022. The fragments generated by the action remain in orbit and have already forced the International Space Station to execute collision avoidance maneuvers on several occasions. The general warned that a war scenario could trigger a chain reaction, rendering entire regions of low orbit unusable for long periods.

Facing this shared risk, Saltzman defended international cooperation as the only viable path. "We will share the consequences; therefore, we must share the responsibility for a safe, secure, and stable space domain," he declared. He described the preservation of the peaceful use of space as the "ultimate team sport," arguing that the complexity of the domain prevents a single nation from protecting it alone.

During his tenure, which began in 2022, the Space Force was declared fully capable of actual combat operations, moving beyond a merely theoretical structure. President Donald Trump nominated Lieutenant General Douglas A. Schiess to succeed him. In his confirmation hearing, Schiess defended the US$ 71.1 billion budget requested for the corporation, claiming it is the amount necessary to maintain deterrence against the advancement of China's military space capabilities.