China threatens US security with moon race as Trump pushes lunar base

Race to the moon Running – again. But today’s strategic competition is far greater than our race with the Soviet Union in 1969. If China reaches the moon before the United States and establishes a permanent human presence, it will treat the lunar surface not as a peaceful scientific outpost, but as an extension of its campaign to outmaneuver America, intimidate our allies, and endanger our systems that keep the American homeland safe. This is no longer something out of science fiction.

president Donald Trump Trump understood this threat, and signed the Executive Order on Ensuring American Space Supremacy, making it very clear that he wants the United States to lead this new space race — returning Americans to the Moon by 2028 and building a permanent manned presence on the Moon.

Let me be clear, the fear that China can somehow “claim” the Moon by arriving first misunderstands geography and international reality. Two major sites of settlement are the Shackleton Crater, which extends approximately the same distance from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Antarctic-Aitken Basin, which is approximately the same distance from Washington, D.C., to Denver, Colorado. The moon is wide.

The strategic question for Congress is not who will arrive “next,” but rather who will establish a permanent, scalable, and defensible presence on the Moon. China is aware of this issue and is on track to develop a reusable launch system to control this terrain and its abundant vital resources within a decade. The United States must recognize this threat and address it as quickly as it requires.

Trump orders the release of government alien and UFO files to multiple federal agencies across the country

Earth’s shadow covers the full moon during a partial lunar eclipse as it sets behind the American flag on top of a building, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Obama and Biden administration Space Launch System (SLS)That program, which is currently being used on Artemis missions, uses 1980s architecture developed from shuttle missions, and was heavily criticized by NASA’s former inspector general during the Biden administration who calculated that the cost of a single SLS launch was $4.2 billion, with nearly $64 billion already spent despite just one operational flight since 2022. That’s a steep price tag with limited payload capacity and a launch cadence measured in years rather than months.

Given NASA’s struggles with the SLS system, Chinese state-backed companies are now working on simulating structures that support fully reusable, self-landing heavy rockets similar to SpaceX’s Starship vehicle. As we saw on February 11, China’s Long March 10 booster rocket (developed in just eight years) successfully steered itself into a vertical landing in the ocean. This is an unambiguous sign that China is quickly catching up with us and realizes that the country that can launch missiles more frequently and move more mass will dominate.

the Critical national security The question is: What happens if the United States does not pivot quickly toward prioritizing cost, capability, and tempo, after Artemis III?

Astronauts arrive at the International Space Station on an 8-month mission after a medical emergency forced an early evacuation

First, we are likely to see a formation of… A permanent, inhabited Chinese presence Expanding Beijing’s intelligence collection and space awareness across the Earth-Moon system, helping China monitor the activity of the United States and its allies. Beijing has invested in capabilities designed to “degrade, damage, or destroy” U.S. satellites — the backbone of U.S. command, control, and targeting. This has direct implications for internal security.

Trump is right to push a layered, space-enabled missile defense system, known as Golden Dome, but if China takes control… The ultimate high groundcan create a lunar-based counter command designed to blind, spoof, disable, or otherwise endanger the alien layer that makes this shield possible. Simply put: You cannot defend your homeland from above if Beijing can compete in the space above you. The United States must establish this capability first — call it the “Donald J. Trump Moon Base” — and maintain the operational advantage over the Chinese.

Click here for more Fox News opinions

Second, if China was left untouched on the moon, it would certainly increase the risk of espionage, sabotage, and abuse. You enter the gray area Against our upcoming lunar infrastructure.

Given NASA’s struggles with the SLS system, Chinese state-backed companies are now working on simulating structures that support fully reusable, self-landing heavy rockets similar to SpaceX’s Starship vehicle.

Finally, Beijing will seek to transform its presence into control over resources on the moon. It is crucial for us to get ahead of the Chinese in extracting these important minerals, for which China already has a stronghold on Earth. We need these vital minerals for national defense, economic prosperity, and, frankly, our sovereignty.

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

The moon is the ultimate high ground. We cannot be first on Earth but second in space. If China gets to the moon, fine, but if it returns repeatedly, it will shift its presence into control — over the Golden Dome, over our critical infrastructure on Earth and in low-Earth orbit, and over the resources the moon provides — and America will be permanently vulnerable to its greatest adversary.

To stand up to China, Congress must demand accountability for delays and cost overruns, stop blindly subsidizing outdated systems, and focus on reusability. Our continued internal security depends on it. Let’s put America first and prioritize cost, capacity, and pace.

Click here to read more from Chad Wolf