Full-Blown Space Command Food Fight Underway
SecAF selects Huntsville, Alabama, as preferred location to host USSPACECOM, US Space Command
“The Secretary of the Air Force, on behalf of the Office of Secretary of Defense, selected Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters. … Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bellevue, Nebraska; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas, will remain reasonable alternative locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.”
Trump administration decides on Alabama as new home for Space Command, Washington Post
“According to individuals familiar with the process, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) was a major player in the decision-making. Cliff Sims, a senior adviser to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and an Alabama native, also advocated for the move with both the White House and the Pentagon, the individuals said.”
Nebraska to Continue U.S. Space Command Headquarters Bid, Greater Omaha Chamber
“Following today’s announcement of Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location of U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM), community leaders in Nebraska re-emphasized their initial position: Based on objective criteria outlined by the Department of the Air Force, Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base remains the optimum location for U.S. Space Command. The Nebraska team expects full transparency of the final review to support this assertion.”
Trump orders Space Command to leave Colorado
“It’s a decision that Colorado lawmakers say they will ask incoming President-elect Joe Biden to overturn and has caused Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Trump loyalist, to break with the administration. The move also will likely kick off a congressional probe into how the decision was reached.”
Keith’s note: In addition to the push by Sen. Shelby and Cliff Sims there is another Alabaman – newly-elected Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) who did Trump a huge favor by opposing the whole electoral college vote thing. Just saying. The incoming Biden Administration can easily revisit this decision. Stay tuned.
Are the other branches’ headquarters not all in the DC area?
The USSF is headquartered at the Pentagon, like all the services.
This is US Space Command, a combatant command. Combatant command headquarters are in various places around the country (and Europe).
While I realize that there is lots of space stuff going on in Huntsville, it makes little sense to move USSPACECOM from Colorado, where the bulk of the operating forces reside.
Alabama politicians have a strong love of pork.
“Limited government” politicians, especially.
There are a lot of government entities – about a dozen divisions of the FBI are the latest – who are moving to Redstone Arsenal so this is no surprise. RSA has been absorbing military commands for a long time picking up some big ones during BRAC. The Arsenal is huge, is used to making room and putting in place the necessary hardened communications and power requirements and building the facilities resistant to hacking and other interference. It also has TVA which has enormous power capabilities including nuclear reactors, wind, and hydroelectric power plants that makes purchasing power not only low-cost but green. The surrounding area also has a great standard of living, beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, bike and hiking paths, greenways, etc. Housing is low-cost, utilities cheap, schools excellent, hospitals and doctors aplenty, traffic moderate, and the people very military-friendly. Who wouldn’t want to come here once they visit? That’s why I’ve lived here for fifty years when I could live anywhere I choose. Oh, there’s also Space Camp!
Reports are that the DAF recommended Colorado, but Trump intervened and made them pick Alabama. Nothing to see here, I’m sure….
It would be redundant to call this a political decision. Colorado would have been closer to more of the military infrastructure and in Florida it would have been co-located with the 45th Space Wing and launch operations. But at least it makes sense to have a Space Command. What doesn’t make sense is a Space Force. The DoD is more effective when it is unified than when it is divided.
Yes, maybe Biden can eliminate the USSF campaign talking point.
I have no idea what that means.
The Space Force was created to give Trump campaign talking points and to raise campaign funds. The Trump campaign even had a contest to pick the Space Force logo.
As has been explained to you before, the services do the training, doctrine and equipping in support of the joint mission. The combatant command conduct the unified operations, not the services. You keep beating the same dead horse.
We will have to see if there was too much political trading in this decision, this could taint the move.
Having been stationed in Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, it is a great place to live.
I have also spent a LOT of time in Huntsville, working in the Spacelab POCC for Spacelab Life Sciences-1, and it is a wonderful place as well.
It seems smart to disperse some of the headquarters, so that space people don’t go to Colorado Springs as a Lieutenant and retire from there as a Colonel, having never left!