President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama and ending months of politically fueled debate, according to senior U.S. officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The officials said Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson\u2019s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president, they said, believes that keeping the command in Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness that the move would cause, particularly as the U.S. races to compete with China in space. And they said Biden firmly believes that maintaining stability will help the military be better able to respond in space over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden\u2019s decision is sure to enrage Alabama lawmakers and fuel accusations that abortion politics played a role in the choice. The location debate has become entangled in the ongoing battle between Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and the Defense Department over the move to provide travel for troops seeking reproductive health care. Tuberville opposes the policy and is blocking hundreds of military promotions in protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Formally created in August 2019, the command was temporarily based in Colorado, and Air Force and Space Force leaders initially recommended it stay there. In the final days of his presidency Donald Trump decided it should be based in Huntsville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The change triggered a number of reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proponents of keeping the command in Colorado have argued that moving it to Huntsville and creating a new headquarters would set back its progress at a time it needs to move quickly to be positioned to match China\u2019s military space rise. And Colorado Springs is also home to the Air Force Academy, which now graduates Space Force guardians, and more than 24 military space missions, including three Space Force bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 earliest missiles used in the nation\u2019s space programs, including the Saturn V rocket. It is home to the Army\u2019s Space and Missile Defense Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to officials, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who ordered his own review of the matter, leaned toward Huntsville, while Dickinson was staunchly in favor of staying put. The officials said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin presented both options to Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder emphasized in a statement on Monday that Biden\u2019s pick resulted from a \u201cthorough and deliberate evaluation process … informed by data and analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Austin, Kendall and Dickinson \u201call support the President\u2019s decision,\u201d Ryder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLocating Headquarters U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period,\u201d Ryder said. \u201cIt will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multidomain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., blasted the reversal in his own statement and vowed to continue a congressional inquiry into the selection process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable for their egregious political meddling in our national security,\u201d Rogers said Monday. \u201cThis fight is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air Force Times senior reporter Rachel Cohen contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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