House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) invited relevant military officials to testify publicly in front of the committee regarding President Joe Biden’s decision to house Space Command’s headquarters permanently in Colorado instead of Alabama.
Biden’s decision, which the administration announced in late July, was to keep Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, overturning a decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama. For months leading up to the president’s decision, lawmakers from Colorado and Alabama jockeyed to get the administration to choose their state. Biden’s decision resulted in swift denouncements from Alabama lawmakers, who accused the president of making this decision with political motivations.
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In a statement on Tuesday, Rogers said he invited Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Space Command Commander James Dickinson, and Space Force Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman to testify in front of the committee.
He said Biden’s decision to base Space Command permanently in Colorado was “politically motivated” and that there was “political manipulation of the selection process” and argued the decision was made “to improve his political standing for next year’s reelection.”
“In May, I opened a Congressional investigation into the Biden administration’s shameful delay to finalize the permanent basing decision for U.S. Space Command. When the Secretary of the Air Force finally made a decision, he upheld his predecessors’ decision to base U.S. Space Command in Huntsville, Alabama. President Biden then usurped the Air Force Secretary’s authority and named Colorado Springs the permanent basing site for U.S. Space Command in order to improve his political standing for next year’s reelection,” the chairman said. “I have invited Secretary Kendall, General Dickinson, and General Saltzman to testify to the House Armed Services Committee in a public hearing. We will get answers on President Biden’s political manipulation of the selection process.”
The White House and National Security Council have denied allegations that there were any political calculations that came into play with the president’s choice.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) is a member of the Armed Services Committee, and he has applauded the president’s decision.
“U.S. Space Command belongs in Colorado Springs,” the congressman said at an event earlier this month celebrating Biden’s selection. “This decision is not just about Colorado or Colorado Springs, it is about what is best for our national security. As Russia and China are threatening our military, our economy, and our way of life, having USSPACECOM in Colorado Springs gives us the best chance to protect America.”
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The most significant factor that went into the president’s decision was Space Command would achieve “full operational capability” by the end of August, whereas the opening of the new site in Alabama likely wouldn’t be until the early-to-mid 2030s, a senior administration official told the Washington Examiner at the time the decision was made.
“From the start, DOD and the Department of the Air Force have worked diligently to ensure the basing decision resulted from an objective and deliberate process informed by data and analysis, in compliance with federal law and DOD policy,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. “Secretary Austin, Secretary of the Air Force Kendall, and U.S. Space Command commander Gen. Dickinson all support the President’s decision.”
