Russia is currently tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military, a senior minister said on Thursday

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius revealed the active operations as he announced a �35 billion ($41 billion) investment in his country�s space programs over the next five years.

Pistorius said Russia and China have the capability to engage in space warfare and already occupy strategic positions in space.

�They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites,� he told a space conference in Berlin, adding that the German military has already been targeted by jamming attacks.

Pistorius said two Russian Luch-Olymp reconnaissance satellites are tracking two Intelsat satellites that are used by, among others, the German armed forces.

The minister said that as he was speaking, �39 Chinese and Russian reconnaissance satellites are flying over us,” with their observations being transmitted in real-time. �So be careful what you say,� he added.

Europe lags behind the United States, China and Russia in space.

For decades, Europe has relied upon the U.S. for its security in space, but the Trump administration�s �America First� policies, plus a commercial market that�s growing exponentially, has prompted Europeans to rethink their approach.

Currently, Europe�s only space base capable of launching rockets and satellites into orbit is in sparsely populated French Guiana, an overseas department of France in South America that�s roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the equator. Otherwise, Europe borrows NASA�s Cape Canaveral in Florida.

(AP)