Esper made the warning as part of a keynote he gave at the Air Force Association's 2020 Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference back in September. As part of his warning, Esper stated that China was turning space into a "war-fighting domain" using sophisticated technologies to achieve space superiority over the United States.

"They have weaponized space through killer satellites, directed energy weapons, and more, in an effort to exploit our systems and chip away at our military advantage," he said.

America's rivals looking to use space to erode American military dominance

Space has become an area of interest for the military. As thousands of satellites continue to be launched, they have become both targets and weapons.

In response to this, Esper has confirmed that the Pentagon is investing heavily into technologies that would give the U.S. an advantage in space.