For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. military again has a dedicated U.S. Space Command to oversee activities in this increasingly critical domain. With the large amount of hype surrounding its re-establishment, many may not realize that the United States previously had a Space Command between 1985 and 2002. This latest iteration even comes along with an insignia that takes virtually all of its cues from the logo for the previous incarnation of the command, but in a more modern, slicker-looking package.

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Roger Toberman, together with General John Raymond, who is now head of Space Command, unfurled the revised colors during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House on Aug. 29, 2019. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom have been outspoken advocates for the creation of Space Command, as well as the possible establishment of an entirely new branch of the military, were also present, as was Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

“This is a landmark day, one that recognizes the centrality of space to America’s national security and defense," Trump said in a brief speech at the event. "It’s going to be a whole different ballgame.”

"We are at a strategic inflection point. There is nothing that we do [as a joint force] that isn’t enabled by space. Zero," General Raymond said in his own short remarks. "Our goal is to actually deter a conflict from extending into space. The best way I know how to do that is to be prepared to fight and win."

In spite of these commends, as noted, U.S. Space Command had previously existed from 1985 until 2002, when it was folded into U.S. Strategic Command. In recent years, though, space, U.S. military activities there, and their vulnerabilities during a major conflict have become a point of increasing concern, especially as potential opponents, such as Russia and China have worked to develop various anti-satellite capabilities. These are trends and developments The War Zone has been following closely.

This subsequently led to the decision to reboot Space Command, which now has the following four core missions:

We don't know for sure if the official descriptions of the symbolism of the various pieces of Space Command's new logo are the same as they were for the original insignia. However, the two designs do have virtually all of the same basic graphical elements, such as four large stars, an eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and quiver of arrows in the other, and a globe with a pair of orbital paths marked out.