White House moving to keep Space Command HQ in Colorado, report says

White House moving to keep Space Command HQ in Colorado, report says

The Biden Administration may soon reverse an earlier decision to move the headquarters for U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama, the Washington Post reports.

“The White House appears ready to reverse a Trump administration plan to relocate the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala.,” writes Washington Post national columnist David Ignatius.

“(The White House) fears the transfer would disrupt operations at a time when space is increasingly important to the military,” Ignatius said in a column posted on the Post’s website late Thursday. The columnist quoted an unnamed White House official saying this week, “We share the concerns of some military leaders about potential disruption of space operations at a critical moment for our national security.”

Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville came out on top of an official Pentagon evaluation of sites seeking to host the headquarters. Colorado Springs, where the command was established or “stood up” and where its headquarters is now, did not make the final cut in the Pentagon evaluation process. That ranking process was created after years of political pressure to influence basing decisions, which can mean millions to local economies.

Former President Trump claimed credit for the move to Huntsville, however, saying in Alabama that he personally made the decision after Alabama supported his unsuccessful re-election bid. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala) is the latest in a line of Alabama officials to fight to keep Redstone as the headquarters location, but a member of his staff told AL.com today that President Biden could change the decision just as Trump says he did. “He is the commander in chief,” the staff member said.

“The U.S. Air Force’s thorough selection process and decision to put SPACECOM headquarters in Alabama was based on evidence of what’s best for the military and the country,” Tuberville said in a statement today. “The Air Force selected Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama over 65 other locations, including Colorado. Members of Congress from Colorado requested two additional studies when they didn’t get their way. Both of those studies confirmed that Huntsville was the number one location for SPACECOM — based on things like workforce, existing infrastructure, education, and cost of living. Colorado did not make the top three. The best place for Space Command is in Huntsville. This is not my opinion, this is fact.”

Moving the command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal would bring 1,800 headquarters staff and their families to north Alabama. Redstone Arsenal has 45,000 employees and 800 active duty soldiers, according to the Department of Defense.