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President Trump floats military 'Space Force' idea

President Trump's suggestion of a "Space Force" branch of the military turns Twitter into a sci-fi joke machine.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
Trump Addresses Troops At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar During CA Visit

President Donald Trump suggested creating a "Space Force" while addressing troops at Miramar Marine Corp Air Station in San Diego, California, on Tuesday.

Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

Which branch of the US military would you like to enlist in? Army, Navy, Marines , Air Force or Coast Guard? How about the Space Force instead? 

While addressing Marines at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California on Tuesday, President Donald Trump offered up the idea of a military branch called the Space Force. 

"Our new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain just like the land, air and sea," he said. He then suggested the US might have to start a "Space Force," which was met with chuckles from the audience.

NBC News posted a clip of the speech to Twitter .

The NBC tweet has already been met with some jokes about intergalactic buddy-cop films and a classic meme showing Star Trek's Captain Picard performing a face-palm. 

"Space Force" may sound like a low-budget sci-fi film, but the concept of a space-focused military branch isn't new. There is already an Air Force Space Command with a mission "to provide resilient and affordable space and cyberspace capabilities for the Joint Force and the Nation." 

Naturally, Twitter was pretty excited about the idea and quickly dropped references to everything from George Lucas and Star Wars to Mel Brooks' comedy "Spaceballs."

The crowning glory of Twitter's contribution to the discussion is probably this hastily made Space Force logo:

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