The U.S. Air Force has decided to base new U.S. Space Force units in Colorado, not Alabama.
Four new units will be based on bases in Colorado, which is notable given that’s where Space Command is temporarily headquartered, despite growing questions as to whether it will ultimately move to Huntsville, Alabama, where the previous administration selected for its permanent location.
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The Air Force made the call “after conducting thorough site surveys which assessed the location’s ability to facilitate the missions and infrastructure capacity while accounting for community support, environmental factors and cost,” according to a press release shared on Wednesday.
The Biden administration has reportedly considered not moving Space Command’s headquarters to Alabama due to the state’s strict anti-abortion laws, though officials have denied a connection. A White House official told the Washington Examiner earlier this month that abortion laws or reproductive care access are not factors in the review of the permanent location.
More than two years ago, the secretary of the Air Force announced the Space Command would move from its temporary location in Colorado Springs to a U.S. Army post, Redstone Arsenal, which is in Huntsville, Alabama.
Lawmakers from both states believe their home state should house U.S. Space Command indefinitely.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall earlier this month, requesting the department to preserve all documents related to the selection of a location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters.
“The Air Force’s deleterious actions concerning the selection of a location for SPACECOM Headquarters require the Committee to now seek document preservation in this matter,” he wrote. “Air Force officials have continued to delay finalizing the move of SPACECOM Headquarters to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, in response to apparent politically motivated interference by political appointees in the Biden Administration.”
Alternatively, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) said in a statement on Wednesday, “Colorado Springs continues to prove itself as the premier location for our nation’s space defense operations. I am pleased to announce that more than 500 personnel from Space Delta 12, Space Delta 15, and the 74th and 75th ISR squadrons will permanently join the 20 current space missions at our five military installations in Colorado Springs.”
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President Joe Biden is set to speak during Thursday’s commencement ceremony at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, while Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) said he’ll be using the president’s visit as another opportunity to urge him to keep Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado.
“As President Biden and his administration near a final basing decision for Space Command, we urge them to restore the integrity of this process and make a decision in the interest of our national security — to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs,” his office said in a statement to the Associated Press.
