Two prominent priorities on the plate of Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville have now intermingled.

One is the senator’s hold on the Senate approving promotions for military personnel, the other is the tug-of-war over U.S. Space Command between Alabama and Colorado. In Tuberville’s view, both issues – one resulting from a personal stance, the other a seemingly chronic uncertainty – are damaging the nation’s armed forces.

Tuberville on Wednesday linked his objection to a new Defense Department policy of paying for abortions for military personnel and his fight to bring Space Command to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

Tuberville linked the unrelated issues by citing criticism he has received, particularly from Democrats, on his opposition to the abortion policy. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York repeatedly called out the “senator from Alabama” during a floor speech on the issue.

“Blocking military choices is unprecedented and it could weaken our national security,” Schumer said in the speech.

On Wednesday, Tuberville responded.

“The problem is, this is a national … they talk about what I’m doing about (military) nominations,” Tuberville said. “I mean, (Space Command) is a national, national threat, if anything, because we are getting hammered in space by China and Russia.”

Tuberville did not elaborate on the advantages he said China and Russia have over the U.S. in space.

The lingering unknowns, though, about the permanent home for Space Command do not appear to be approaching an imminent conclusion. The Air Force in January 2021 announced that Redstone Arsenal was the “preferred site” for Space Command. More than two years later, though, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said “additional analysis” was needed before a decision could be made.

On Tuesday, Kendall – questioned by Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt during a budget hearing – said the decision remained with him. That followed an opinion column in The Washington Post last week that maintained the Biden White House would guide Space Command away from Alabama and give it residence at its startup home in Colorado Springs.

“Thank goodness President Trump had the forethought to put in Space Force and Space Command,” Tuberville said. “And this group doesn’t look like they know how to handle it. So hopefully, it comes to Huntsville again. I don’t know what else we can do. You know, we can write letters. We can complain about it. But again, you know, Nebraska was No. 2 on the list. San Antonio was No. 3. Colorado wasn’t even in the mix.”

In other words, Tuberville said, the politics Colorado Democrats accused Trump in playing with Redstone being identified as the ideal location would also be at play if Biden intervened and delivered it to Colorado.

“So if it goes to Colorado, you know exactly why it went to Colorado,” Tuberville said. “It would be because of politics.”

Tuberville again touted his relationship with Kendall, who told Aderholt in the hearing that he had been charged with making the decision on Space Command by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. At this point, though, there is no timetable for a decision.

“It’s just amazing to me how we’ve even gotten into this situation,” Tuberville said.