Vice President Mike Pence declined to say Tuesday whether nuclear weapons should remain banned from space, saying that the ban is in the interest of the world but that President Trump is determined to project U.S. strength.

“I think that what we need to do is make sure that we provide for the common defense of the people of the United States of America, and that’s the president’s determination here,” Pence said during an appearance at the Washington Post. “I think it’s in the interest of every nation to continue to ban the use of nuclear weapons in space, but what we want to do is continue to advance the principle that peace comes through strength.”

The vice president visited the news outlet to talk about the administration’s plans for a new Space Force military service and he made the comment after being asked directly whether nuclear weapons should “always be banned from space.”

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 bans the arms and other weapons of mass destruction from being deployed in the Earth’s orbit. Pence also said he sees no need to amend that treaty for now.

Pence is spearheading the Space Force for the administration and the new service, which could be the first since the Air Force was created in 1947, has become a signature issue for Trump.

The Pentagon has said the new space service is needed to protect U.S. military and commercial communication satellites that are increasingly threatened by Russia and China.

During a recent trip to Brazil, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis underscored that the U.S. has no plans to put weapons into space, according to the Associated Press.