US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was ordering the creation of a sixth branch of the military aimed at American supremacy in space.

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space," Trump said at a meeting with the National Space Council. "We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal."

He said he is directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, according to a White House release.

"That's a big statement," Trump said.