Space Force (United States Space Force)

Space Force is a proposed branch of the United States Armed Forces. In June 2018, President Trump announced plans for a Space Force to complement the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard and defend the United States and its orbital assets from attack. Trump also committed to the resumption of manned missions to the moon and the construction of a fleet of space vehicles. 

The Trump administration intends to establish the Space Force as a fully independent military branch by 2020. The last time Congress approved a new branch of military service was in 1947, when the Air Force (which was part of the Army) became its own dedicated branch of service with its own academy. Until the new branch of the Armed Forces is formally authorized by Congress, however, Russia remains the only other country to have officially explored the idea of a military space force. The Russian Space Forces existed from 1992 to 1997 and again from 2001-2011. Currently, the Russian program exists as the Russian Aerospace Force, which is organized as a part of their air force.

It is expected that the establishment of a Space Force will support NASA's multi-user spaceport initiatives, the establishment of lunar communities, extraterrestrial data centers and the government agency's long-planned manned mission to Mars.