Alabama Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville pushed the commanding general of the U.S. Space Command today to endorse the selection process that decided Huntsville should be the command headquarters’ permanent home.

Tuberville said, “Members of states that weren’t even really (in the) running for SPACECOM headquarters are trying to tie completely unrelated political issues to a fact-based decision.”

That was a reference to Colorado’s ongoing fight to keep the headquarters in that state, where it was activated, and stop a move to Alabama recommended by a Pentagon study. Colorado wasn’t really in the running, Tuberville said.

Gen. James Dickinson was testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee today when Tuberville, a member of the committee, said it would be “unfitting” for him not to ask about the command headquarters. According to the Senate record, the exchange went like this between Tuberville and Dickinson:

TUBERVILLE: “General Dickinson, it’d be unfitting for me not to ask you about Space Command…. Since the Senator from New Hampshire brought it up, we’ve heard a lot in the last few years about the basing decision of command headquarters. I didn’t want to get into a back and forth about this decision, but when my colleagues bring it up, I want to make sure the facts are correct. General, in 2019, the Air Force identified six suitable locations for Space Command, correct?”

DICKINSON: “Yes.”

TUBERVILLE: “In 2020, when then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testified before this committee, he instructed the Air Force to allow for communities to self-nominate. That resulted in the Air Force examining 66 communities across 26 states, correct?

DICKINSON: “As best I can recall.”

TUBERVILLE: “It was an exhaustive selection process that weighed 21 different factors and involved site visits, interviews, and input from up and down the chain of command. That process took eight months, correct?”

DICKINSON: “As best I can recall.”

TUBERVILLE: “Which community ranked number one in that analysis?”

DICKINSON: “I don’t recall exactly which one.”

TUBERVILLE: “I’ll refresh your memory: Huntsville. Do you recall which base ranked second?”

DICKINSON: “I don’t recall.”

TUBERVILLE: “It was Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Do you recall third? You probably don’t, it was a joint base in San Antonio.

“The Commander in Chief selected the location that the Air Force ranked number one. Yet since the president selected Huntsville, the location, the Air Force study ranked #1 in January 2021, we’ve had two years of delay. The world is on fire right now and we need to catch up.

“The Colorado delegation asked for an Investigator General Report and GAO report on the process. Ironic, isn’t it. Colorado wasn’t even second or third, but they asked for a report.

“So, when the GAO examined this process, they said, and I’m going to quote here, ‘Redstone Arsenal ranked as the highest scoring location in the Evaluation Phase, the highest ranked location in the Selection Phase, and the location with the most advantages in the decision matrix.

“Air Force officials stated that the decision to identify Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location stemmed from Air Force analysis showing it was the strongest candidate location.’”