As scholars examining its material culture, we take no position on the appropriateness of the Space Force event, but we note that it is far from the only militaristic aspect of life there. https://twitter.com/brianweeden/status/1340041252990046208

There are frequent displays of patriotism, including commemorations of war victories, on ISS. Most of the people on board are now, or have been, in their respective nations' militaries, and they display symbols of those affiliations.

The use of a bell to signal the arrival or departure of people from the vehicle is derived from naval traditions https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-97/html/s97e5078.html

We examined the relationship between religion and patriotism in the visual displays on the Russian module Zvezda https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/11/611

The tensions between nationalism and cooperation are, in fact, a salient fact of life on @Space_Station, and our research will continue to reveal it.