The newest branch of the US Military has a logo and a motto now. The mottos is Semper Supra, meaning ‘Always Above’. The logo’s main feature is a delta wing design.
The US Space Force is still in its infancy, after being officially created by the US President in December 2019. It’s the 6th branch of the armed forces, after the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard. (The National Guard and the Air National Guard are considered reserve components of the forces.)
As the Space Force gradually takes shape, they decided to brand themselves to build recognition of their mission. Part of that branding is the new logo, and the motto.
Space Force’s primary role is protecting American assets in space. The logo design and the motto both help make that clear. Even if the logo does look like it might have been inspired by Star Trek.
The US Space Force just unveiled their new logo and motto. Image Credit: US Space Force
All of the branches of the US Military have their own logos and mottoes, though some are sort of informal. The Marines’ is ‘Semper Fi’ which means ‘Always Faithful.’ The Navy’s is ‘Semper Fortis’ meaning ‘Always Courageous’ and the Air Force’s is ‘Aim High – Fly, Fight, Win’. Meanwhile, the US Army says ‘This We’ll Defend.’
In our modern age, everything is subjected to instant feedback. So when an organization like Space Force is formed, and gets a uniform design, a logo, and a motto, there’s an instant response. Not all of it positive.
Sometimes a new logo or motto can seem pretentious or even silly. But eventually everyone will become accustomed to it, just like they are with the other branches of the Armed Forces.
The official logos of the US Air Force, the US Army, and the emblem of the US Marine Corps. Image Credits: USAF, US Army, US Marines.
Space Force tried to be thoughtful with their design, and worked with the Air Force’s advertising agency GSD&M. Part of their design goal was to reflect history and heritage. On Twitter, Space Force pointed that out.
The Space Force says that the new logo represents “…the service’s role in establishing, maintaining and preserving U.S. freedom of operations in the ultimate high ground.”
On their website, Space Force says that “Dark blue and white combine to represent the vast recesses of outer space. The Delta Wing evokes historic ties to the earliest days of the U.S. Air Force space community, and symbolizes change and innovation. It also represents all variations of space vehicles that support our National Defense Strategy and National Security Space Strategy. Dark and light shades of grey within the delta embody the 24/7 operations of the Space Force, while the placement and upward orientation of the delta reveals the central role of the Space Force in defending the space domain.”
For now, Space Force is still being established. Recently, they made numerous organizational changes to separate their command structure from the Air Force—their original parent body—and transition to their own. Currently, their headquarters are at the Pentagon, but they’re searching for a suitable place to establish their own separate headquarters.
Currently, Space Force has about 16,000 personnel, who all came from the original Space Command in the USAF. Recently, Space Force graduated 86 lieutenants from the USAF Academy to serve in the force. And in March, Space Force launched their first communications satellite. Despite the new branch’s name, personnel will serve here on Earth.