"Why do you need camo in space?"

It's a question some people are asking the United States Space Force after the new military service released an image of its official uniform on social media.

The post on the Space Force's official Twitter account attracted plenty of comments and questions from users who could not see the benefits of standard army woodland camouflage in space.

Walter Shaub, a former director of the US Office of Government Ethics asked: "Have you been to a part of space where this camouflage would blend in?"

Another person asked: "How many trees are you expecting to find in space?", while others pointed out that the appropriate camouflage for space was black.

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

There's a reason for the camo

Amidst the Twitter onslaught, the US Space Force replied to one tweet saying the design was a cost-saving measure.

It said that Space Force members would look like their Army and Air Force counterparts who they work alongside on the ground.

Loading

Space Force, which officially launched in December last year, is the first new military service since the Air Force was spun off from the Army in 1947.

The service is not designed or intended to put combat troops in space, but will be the provider of forces to US Space Command — a separate organisation established last year as the overseer of the military's space operations.

Instead of being its own military department, like the Navy, Army and Air Force, the Space Force will be administered by the Secretary of the Air Force.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing the National Defence Authorisation Act at Andrews Air Force Base. ( AP: Kevin Wolf )

Last year, during a signing ceremony outside of Washington, US President Donald Trump said "space is the world's new war-fighting domain".

"Among grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we're leading, but we're not leading by enough, and very shortly we'll be leading by a lot," he said.

ABC/Reuters