A new report from the Pentagon’s inspector general has added to the debate over the permanent location of Space Command headquarters.
The report, made public this month, details the long and complicated history behind the decision. In 2021, the Air Force’s preferred location for the permanent home of Space Command was Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, according to the report. Nonetheless, the Air Force secretary did not move to relocate the command.
The Air Force maintained, after two separate analyses, that moving the base would have minimal environmental impact and could save taxpayers $426 million.
However, the report notes, some were concerned that moving the base from its temporary headquarters in Colorado Springs could reduce effectiveness due to possible reductions in staff. Based on those concerns, Space Command leadership formally recommended that the headquarters remain in Colorado in June 2023.
“USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than the Department of the Air Force predicated,” the report states. “And that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command’s readiness.”
Space Command analysis found that up to 88% of Colorado Springs staff would opt not to travel with the base if it moved to Huntsville.
Space Command’s headquarters has remained in Colorado Springs since the armed service was established in 2019. The location was meant to be only temporary while leaders looked for an alternative.
The decision not to move Space Command headquarters has sparked intense debate in Congress between delegations from Alabama and Colorado.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, Alabama Republican, said this month that the report reveals serious issues with the basing procedure. Mr. Rogers has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s decision not to move the base, accusing the former president of keeping the base in Colorado for partisan reasons.
Recently, Mr. Rogers has implied that President Trump will step in to formally move the base from Colorado to Alabama.
“I expect sometime during the month of April that Space Command will officially be assigned to build its headquarters in Huntsville,” Mr. Rogers said during an April 9 podcast.
Colorado lawmakers have firmly disagreed with Mr. Rogers and other Alabama Republicans, pointing to concerns about military readiness and cost.
“We are in a different spot than we were a few years ago. Space Command’s rightful home is in Colorado, where, since 2023, it has been fully operational and an invaluable asset to America’s military,” Reps. Jeff Crank, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Hurd and Gabe Evans — all Colorado Republicans — said Tuesday in a joint statement.
