At the Space Symposium in Colorado last month, one topic stood out: the possibility of moving Space Command out of Colorado Springs. As the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the decision to move the command to Huntsville was made in 2021, I’m concerned that relocating Space Command would threaten our national security.

At the end of his first term, President Donald Trump decided to move Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama. The decision was lawfully made, based on the results of an Air Force basing study and only constrained by lack of funding (i.e., billions never appropriated by Congress). My best military advice at the time (granted, a minority opinion) was to leave the command in Colorado due to the significant space threats emanating from China and Russia. Now, four years on, the threat environment has significantly worsened.

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The threat in space is not theoretical; it is here. China has deployed new constellations of satellites that possess the capability to target our forces, especially naval forces in the Pacific. It has built and deployed numerous dangerous weapons in space that can jeopardize our own space capabilities. We cannot afford to lessen our abilities to fight in space in any way. I am concerned that moving Space Command now would do just that by lowering the readiness of the combatant command for space during a period of increased uncertainty.

As opposed to 2021, Space Command has now achieved full operational capability. This capability to meet the threat is contingent upon the qualified and diligent men and women who show up to work at Peterson Space Force Base every day with one goal: defend the nation. If history is any guide, most of the civilian workforce (about 60% of the command) would not move. The last time Space Command was moved — when it was folded into Strategic Command in 2002 — less than 10% of the civilian workforce chose to move from Colorado to Omaha. A 90% loss of civilian workforce now would cripple our ability to combat China and Russia in space for many years to come. Our nation cannot afford that risk, especially right now.

Trump has also rightly recognized that the missile and space threat from Russia and China is real and multifaceted, and he published an executive order on Jan. 27 directing the development of an Iron Dome (now Golden Dome) for America. The president has not made a final decision on how and where to build this dome, but it is clear that when he does, many of the new capabilities will be spaced-based and much of the work will occur in Huntsville, the current home of the Missile Defense Agency.

There will likely be significant new requirements for civilian engineers and experts, particularly for new space sensors and interceptors. In this environment, hiring and training some 600 new civilians to populate the new Space Command headquarters will become even more challenging. Neither Golden Dome nor Space Command can afford to compete in the same hiring pool if they are going to be ready for the 2027 threat from China.

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As a taxpayer, I applaud the efforts of Trump to cut government waste and spending. Our national debt is one of the greatest threats to our nation, and we must cut the excessive waste across the government. I therefore do not believe we should spend billions of dollars to move a command that is already fully operational, especially when that move would not provide any increased strategic advantage.

As a native of Huntsville and a resident of Colorado Springs, I love both these great cities. I am confident that this nation will always prevail. I just want to ensure we do it in the most powerful and efficient way possible.

John Hyten served as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. He retired in 2021.