The newly created United States Space Force has new uniforms to match. The unit’s official Twitter account posted a picture of the new “U.S. Space Force” nameplate and “United States Space Command” patch and said the uniforms had “touched down in the Pentagon.”
The US Space Force has been in the works of President Donald Trump’s administration since March 2018, and it was officially created alongside the US Space Command when the president signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act on December 20.
Space Command is meant to oversee space operations using personnel and assets managed by the Space Force. Trump’s initiative has been criticized by former astronauts and a former top military official, but it also has its supporters, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
—United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) January 18, 2020
“Space Force” trended on Twitter after the Department of Defense debuted the new uniforms, with many tweets poking fun at the camouflage print. Some users questioned why a black print wasn’t chosen, given the environment that space troops would theoretically be fighting in.
However, others pointed out that there are no immediate plans to put space troops in space, so the uniforms will be worn by people still on Earth – and camouflage doesn’t have to serve an actual camouflaging purpose, it has just became the traditional print for US military members.
“Folks blabbering on out about not needing camo in space is peak civilian,” freelance journalist and Navy veteran Shelley Carbone tweeted. “Not everyone is going to be floating around up there, people.”
The Space Force isn’t intended to put combat troops into space, and it’s separate from NASA. Trump described space as the “world’s newest warfighting domain,” but as of right now there’s no space aggression threatening US space assets. The exact division of responsibilities between Space Force and Space Command will be determined over the next 18 months, according to Air Force officials.
The United States Space Force didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.