NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — More than half a decade after the creation of the Space Force, the service has and intends to continue to expand both its capabilities and the size of the force to deter a conflict fought in outer space.

“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,” Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience largely consisting of airmen and Guardians at the Air and Space Conference in Maryland on Wednesday morning.