Coloradoans and Colorado’s leadership had long suspected it, but now we’ve heard it from the horse’s …err… former president’s mouth. President Donald Trump admitted in an interview that he “single-handedly” made the decision to move the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama.
“Former President Trump has admitted what we already knew: that he made a strictly political decision to move Space Command and completely disregarded both critical national security and budgetary considerations,” said Senator John Hickenlooper. “This is exactly why we’ve called for a review and reconsideration of the decision. We look forward to the Air Force doing just that — looking at what is best for our national security — and making sure Space Command is located where it belongs, in Colorado Springs.”
In January, just before Trump stepped down as president, the Air Force announced that Huntsville, Alabama, would be the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command. Following this announcement, reports surfaced that President Trump had politicized the decision process to relocate Space Command from its provisional headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Earlier this year, Hickenlooper and Senator Michael Bennet led the entire Colorado Congressional Delegation in urging President Joe Biden to suspend the Trump administration’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command until a thorough review of the decision was conducted.
“Throughout this process, I have repeatedly expressed concerns that the decision to relocate the U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama was not based on merit. I remain troubled by reports that the former president’s political considerations led to the final decision to relocate Space Command,” said Bennet in a statement. “Former President Trump’s admission suggests that national security and cost were clearly not his priorities. His recent interview further underscores why we need to investigate the previous administration’s last-minute decision to uproot Space Command from its home in Colorado Springs.”
In March, Hickenlooper, Bennet, and a bipartisan group of senators outlined recommendations for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) to be included in the investigation of the decision.
During a congressional hearing in April, General James H. Dickinson, Commander of Space Command, acknowledged that there are many unanswered questions about the move, including its costs and impact on workforce retention.
Huntsville, Alabama is the site of the Payload Operations Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (supporting the International Space Station Payload). But Colorado has a long record of military operation and is known for its military bases. With an identity tied to the Air Force Academy and as the site of NORAD, it would seem to be a more logical choice for the Space Force.
Featured image: U.S. Space Command General John “Jay” Raymond, and Senior Enlisted Advisor Roger Towberman, present the U.S. Space Force flag to President Trump in May, 2020 in the Oval Office. Image courtesy of U.S. Space Force
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