President Joe Biden has decided to keep the United States Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama.
Gen. James Dickinson, the head of Space Command, reportedly convinced Biden to keep everything in Colorado because moving would jeopardize military readiness, according to a senior administration official. U.S. Space Command headquarters will achieve “full operational capability” in the coming weeks, while moving it to Alabama would result in its opening in the early to mid-2030s, which Biden determined to be an “unacceptable” risk, the official added.
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“From the start, DoD and the Department of the Air Force have worked diligently to ensure the basing decision resulted from an objective and deliberate process informed by data and analysis, in compliance with federal law and DoD policy,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. “Secretary Austin, Secretary of the Air Force Kendall, and U.S. Space Command commander Gen. Dickinson all support the President’s decision.”
“Locating Headquarters U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period,” he continued. “It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests.”
Biden’s decision will set off a fierce response from Alabama lawmakers, while their Coloradoan colleagues have already issued statements of support.
“Over the past two and half years, we have repeatedly made the case that the Trump administration’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command was misguided. Today’s decision restores integrity to the Pentagon’s basing process and sends a strong message that national security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military decisions. Colorado is the rightful home for U.S. Space Command, and our state will continue to lead America in space for years to come,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) said in a statement.
Biden has been in a weekslong feud with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who has placed a hold on military nominations and promotions in protest of the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing travel expenses incurred while seeking abortions.
“The senior senator from Alabama who claims to support our troops is now blocking more than 300 military operations with his extreme political agenda,” Biden said last week.
“We don’t have a sitting confirmed commandant of the Marine Corps,” he said. “By the fall, we may not have a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We may not have military leaders from our Army and Navy either.”
Lawmakers from each state have jockeyed for months for their state to be the permanent base. Colorado lawmakers said it would take less time to get the temporary base to full capacity than moving to Huntsville and getting the base up and running there, while Alabama politicians have cited the department’s initial decision and a subsequent review of that process.
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Comparatively, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the House Armed Services Committee chairman, said in a statement, “The Biden administration’s shameful delay to finalize the permanent basing decision for U.S. Space Command warranted the opening of a Congressional investigation. I will continue this investigation to see if they intentionally misled the Armed Services Committee on their deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of the selection process. I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable for their egregious political meddling in our national security. This fight is far from over.”
Biden’s decision will ultimately fuel speculation that Alabama’s restrictive abortion laws played a role in the decision, though a White House official has previously denied it was a factor in the decision-making process.
