After years of wrangling over where to domicile US Space Command, President Donald Trump put the issue to rest yesterday (Sept. 2). The Space Force’s operational, combatant command will make Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL, its permanent home. Trump announced, “I am thrilled to report that Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as ‘Rocket City.’”
Trump established the US Space Force during his first term, and after extensive studies and independent analysis, Huntsville was the consensus site location. But Joe Biden’s administration made the unpopular decision to leave Space Command in Colorado Springs, CO. Even some Democrats criticized Biden’s politically motivated decision. “Democratic Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell denounced the Biden administration’s decision to cancel the transfer of the US Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, calling the move ‘shameful’ on [July 31, 2023],” the Daily Caller reported. At the time, the decision countered the Trump administration’s selection of Huntsville, even though it rated higher than Colorado Springs. According to the Associated Press, the Government Accountability Office determined:
“Huntsville, however, scored higher than Colorado Springs in a Government Accountability Office assessment of potential locations and has long been a home to some of the earliest missiles used in the nation’s space programs, including the Saturn V rocket. It is home to the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command.”
Some reports claimed that the Colorado Springs location came in a distant fifth compared to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, which scored highest.
As Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth explained at the announcement ceremony, during Biden’s term, “The DOD [Department of Defense] Inspector General, the Government Affairs Office did their own assessment, and where did they say Space Command should go? Huntsville, Alabama. So, what you’re doing today, Mr. President, is restoring it to precisely where it should be based on what the Space Force, the Air Force, [and] your leadership believe will give us strategic advantage in the future.” Some of the benefits Trump pointed out include the creation of 30,000 new jobs, with up to 1,800 direct Space Command employees, in the area. Another was described by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who explained, “Now, this move will save the taxpayers 480 million dollars. It’s not going to cost more; it’s going to cut 480 million dollars.”
Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville already hosts the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the Missile Defense Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center. Additionally, Trump’s proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield is likely to find a home at the center of US space operations in Huntsville, which currently supports the Golden Dome’s core elements, such as space-based sensors and engineering facilities for Next Generation Interceptors.
Furthermore, Trump’s vision of “peace through strength” is reinforced by having an integrated and unified headquarters for space research, development, and production, a place where breakthroughs can be shared in a timely fashion. From an economic perspective, as well as mission and operations, Huntsville is hands-down the right choice.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.