America’s new U.S. Space Command will like being headquartered in Huntsville if a leader of one of the Army’s largest military commands is any indication.

“I had always heard great things about this installation and community but had never served here,” Army Materiel Command Maj. Gen Walter “Walt” Duzzny said Thursday, “but coming here, it’s all true.”

Duzzny is chief of staff one of the largest and most important commands in the Army. He spoke to local media at command headquarters on Redstone Arsenal to mark the command’s 60th birthday.

The command’s headquarters and leadership were moved to Redstone from Fort Belvoir, VA about a decade ago and was in two different locations before that in the Alexandria, VA region. Today’s building at Redstone is the first permanent headquarters in the command’s history, a spokeswoman said.

Now, the city and arsenal are the top choice in another Pentagon search to find a permanent headquarters for the new U.S. Space Command. That command was started and is now located in Colorado Springs, Colo., where political and city leaders are protesting the competition that ranked Redstone on top.

The materiel command has a 175,000-person worldwide workforce including soldiers, civilians and contractors all led by Duzzny and his superior, Gen. Edward M. Daly. It manages and delivers all supplies and equipment needed by American troops around the world.

Duzzny would not discuss the Space Command move but did talk about his own local reception.

“This was always known as one of the best kept secrets in the Army – to be stationed here at Redstone,” Duzzny said. “I think that secret is out now.”

“Since Day 1, it has been a great experience, and I’ve felt very welcome,” Duzzny said. “Obviously this is a community that is very supportive of military armed forces, not just the military, but all of the agencies that make up Redstone Arsenal.

“In my mind,” Duzzny said, “the arsenal here is part of the community and we’re lucky to be a part of a community like Huntsville that is as supportive as it is.”

Duzzny said the command’s 60th birthday is a big milestone. “There’s literally nothing that the Army does that the Army Materiel Command is not involved in on a day-to- day basis,” he said. “If the Army is going to be successful, the (command) is going to be part of that.”

Today’s Army is looking “out to the Army of 2030,” Duzzny said. “That’s where the Army modernization efforts are taking us. And this command is an integral part of making that happen.” But regardless of the technology, Duzzny said, “The backbone of all that are the people. It’s the soldiers. It’s the civilian team members that we have getting after it every day that make us successful – but also make this a very special place to serve.”