US President Donald Trump on December 21, 2019 officially launched US military ‘Space Force’ at an army base near Washington. He signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and with it directed the establishment of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as the sixth branch of the armed forces.
- The new military service falls under the US Air Force.
- The Space Force will be headquartered at the Pentagon, like the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
- The new Space Force will protect US assets – such as the hundreds of satellites used for communication and surveillance.
- Space Force will build on the work of the existing US Space Command (SpaceCom), which was created in August 2019 to handle the US military’s space operations.
