Presidents, politicians, and officials on either side of the aisle have debated where the U.S. Space Command should be based for years. But after all that deliberation, the headquarters is staying put.
On Monday, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder announced the Biden administration’s decision to make Colorado Springs, Colorado—where the department has been based temporarily since its reestablishment in 2019—Space Command’s permanent headquarters. The selection undoes a last-minute Donald Trump-era declaration that would have moved it to Huntsville, Alabama.
Ryder said the decision followed a “deliberate evaluation process” that included consultations with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other senior military leaders. Austin, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III, and Space Command commander General James Dickinson all support the move, he added.
“I welcome this final basing decision,” Dickinson said in a statement. “Since its establishment in 2019, USSPACECOM has been focused on operating and delivering exquisite capacity to the joint force to deter and, if needed, prevail in conflict. Our priorities to ensure mission success and care for our people remain unchanged.”
Basing Space Command in Colorado “ensures peak readiness” in space, Ryder said, a stance that was reportedly echoed by President Joe Biden. U.S. officials told the Associated Press that Dickinson convinced Biden moving the headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. The president believed stability would help the U.S. compete with rivals such as China.
Colorado Springs is also home to three Space Force bases and the U.S. Air Force Academy, the main pipeline providing guardians to the Space Force.
Apparently, however, Air Force top brass disagreed with Dickinson’s assessment. Per the U.S. officials, leadership studied the issue and determined moving to Alabama was the better decision, echoing the 2021 Air Force assessment that backed Trump’s decision. Kendall was reportedly one of the officials leaning toward Huntsville, which is home to the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command.
According to Colorado officials, the command is expected to yield $1 billion in annual economic spending. The battle over its headquarters has sparked outrage and claims of political posturing. Alabama Republicans in particular voiced their displeasure with the reversal.
“The top three choices for Space Command headquarters were all in red states—Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas. Colorado didn’t even come close,” said Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) “This decision to bypass the three most qualified sites looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security.”
Colorado Springs, in a solid blue state, was listed as the fifth choice in the Air Force’s report.
What’s the Big Deal?
It may seem trivial to some, but the location of Space Command headquarters has been controversial for years.
Originally formed in the 1980s, Space Command was reestablished in 2019 with its temporary base of operations in Colorado Springs. In 2020, the Air Force began searching for a permanent location, evaluating criteria such as infrastructure, cost, and mission capability. Of 66 locations in 24 states, the department settled on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as its preferred choice.
Trump said he made the decision “single-handedly,” announcing it in the waning days of his presidency, a claim Pentagon officials rebuked.
The recommendation was immediately praised in deep red Alabama and lambasted in blue Colorado, with some on the left accusing Republicans of political bias. A 2022 review by the Office of the Inspector General, however, found the choice was reasonable and justified.
Now, Republicans are accusing their political rivals of bias themselves. At the heart of these claims are officials’ reported displeasure with Tuberville’s holdup of hundreds of military nominations and promotions. The Alabama Republican is protesting an order that allows service members and their dependents to use department time, money, and transportation to travel to other states when reproductive care, such as abortion, is not available locally.
Despite his concerns over U.S. security, Tuberville’s actions have left the U.S. Marine Corps without a confirmed leader for the first time in a century. And with the Army chief and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman expected to step down in August and September, respectively, no vote has been held on the nominees to replace them.
Officials told The Associated Press the abortion issue had no effect on Biden’s decision. An official did tell CNN that “quality of life” for service members and their families factored into the decision but noted operational readiness was the key factor.
“Over the past two and half years, we have repeatedly made the case that the Trump administration’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command was misguided,” said Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). “Today’s decision restores integrity to the Pentagon’s basing process and sends a strong message that national security and the readiness of our armed forces drive our military decisions.”
Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) agreed with his colleague, saying the decision “firmly rejects the idea that politics—instead of national security—should determine basing decisions central to our national security.”
But Republicans claim the exact opposite. In May, Senator Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) spurred an investigation into what he termed “politically motivated” delays in Space Command headquarters selection. The senator on Monday vowed to continue that effort.
“Huntsville, Alabama, was chosen to be the headquarters of U.S. Space Command because it was the strongest location and investigations by the Department of Defense Inspector General and Government Accountability Office have upheld this decision,” said Rogers. “It’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision.”
