US Space Force Unveils New Flag

The newest branch of the United States military, Space Force, has unveiled its new flag.

Pentagon officials presented it to US President Donald Trump in a ceremony at the White House's Oval Office.  

President Trump told those gathered that he sees the service as critical to the future of American defence.

He went on to say that the US is building a "super-duper" missile that can travel "17 times faster than what we have now".

The Space Force was first announced by US President Donald Trump in June 2018 as the sixth branch of America's armed forces, "separate but equal" to the US Air Force.

It was followed by an online campaign to find personnel who wanted to serve the military in space.

The Space Force was formally established in December 2019 at a signing ceremony at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington.

The dark blue Space Force flag includes the year 2019 written on it in Roman numerals, and also incorporates a Delta Wing designed to signify change and innovation.

Dark and light shades of grey within the delta were incorporated as a nod to the 24/7 nature of the Space Force’s work.

The department's flag also features a globe, for the Space Force fighters’ home turf, and an elliptical orbit around the globe was included to signify the force’s mission to defend and protect from adversaries and threats emanating in space.

Watch: Is the British military ready to fight in space?

Space Force was America's first new military service in more than 70 years.

There are currently 16,000 personnel assigned to the service, including military personnel and US Department of Defense staff.

The first member of the force to have been transferred in was General John W. Raymond, who was sworn in as the first-ever Chief of Space Operations in January.

In March, Space Force launched its first mission, releasing its first national security satellite.

Critics have claimed the new US Space Force is unnecessary but Donald Trump as defended its creation claiming that space is the world’s newest war-fighting domain.

The 16,000 military personnel and civilians assigned to the Space Force technically remain part of the US Air Force.

Cover image: US Space Force CSO GEN Jay Raymond and US Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor CMSgt Roger Towberman present US President Donald Trump with the US Space Force Flag (Picture: PA).