Washington, Jan 19 (IANS): The US Space Force has defended its newly unveiled camouflage uniforms after they were mocked on social media, the media reported.

The force, officially launched by US President Donald Trump last month, posted a picture of the uniform to its Twitter account on Saturday, reports the BBC.

The uniform in the picture has a woodland camouflage design with badges embroidered on the arm and chest.

Reacting to the uniform, many critics had the same question: "Camo in space?"

One Twitter user asked: "Have they never seen space before?", while another illustrated the difference between space and camouflage, which is designed to help military personnel blend in with their surroundings.

Following the mocking, the force explained its rationale in a tweeted response, saying it was "utilising current Army/Air Force uniforms" and "saving costs of designing/producing a new one" in doing so.

"Members will look like their joint counterparts they'll be working with, on the ground," it added.

During the launch last month, Trump said the force would help the US military "deter aggression" in what he called "the world's newest war-fighting domain", the BBC reported.

But the new military service, overseen by the US Air Force, was not intended to put troops into orbit.

Rather, it will protect US assets such as the hundreds of satellites used for communication and surveillance.

US Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said the Space Force would comprise about 16,000 air force and civilian personnel.

The Trump administration has allocated $40 million to fund the force in its first year.