“The next major conflict may be won or lost in space,” Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said at a symposium on space in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday. “We must confront reality. Weapons are currently deployed by our competitors that can attack our assets in space.”

Shanahan, making the case for President Trump’s Space Force proposal, said both Russia and China have already weaponized space with the intent to put American satellites at risk in the event of conflict.