U.S. Scythes Michael Bennet and Colorado’s John Hickenlooper have spent the past week reigniting discussions about where the U.S. Space Command headquarters should remain in the state, since the decision to move it to Alabama has been on hold for two years .
Senators met Defense Secretary Llyod Austin on Thursday after becoming the only two Democrats to vote against confirming Brendan Owens as Deputy Defense Secretary for Energy and Facilities. Bennet had threatened to postpone the Biden administration’s remaining six Pentagon nominees after Austin failed to respond to sitting requests.
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“We met with Secretary Austin today and agreed with (the Department of Defense) that politics should not play a role in Space Command’s decision-making process,” the senators said in a statement press release Thursday. “Over the past two years, research has found that senior military leaders have identified Peterson Space Force Base as their top choice for Space Command headquarters because it achieves full operational capability faster than any other location, costs less, and reduces wear and tear and disruption to the infrastructure mission—all of which are critical to our national security.”
In January 2021, just days before President Joe Biden was inaugurated, the US Air Force took office announced Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred base for Space Command, moving from what was then known as Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, where the Command has been based since 1985.
The decision, which fell under the administration of former President Donald Trump, said a. “Significant lack of transparency and credibility”. Government Accounting Office Report. In a separate report by Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, military officials reportedly recommended Colorado Springs as a preferred location, but the final decision to relocate was justified. Bipartisan elected officials in Colorado, including Gov. Jared Polis and all seven of Colorado’s then-Congressmen, have called for Space Command to remain in the state.
I applaud Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Benner for using the tools at their disposal to encourage ongoing dialogue… We all have the same ultimate goal — we want a strong, capable, and effective U.S. Space Command that can prevent conflict .
— Shane Deichman, Vice Chair of the Colorado Space Business Roundtable
Colorado has the most aerospace jobs nationwide and ranks second nationwide for the concentration of private aerospace workers, the Colorado Space Coalition, a group working on behalf of the industry. The state has 280 aerospace companies operating there, compared to 10 in Alabama, and has seen five-year job growth of 19.2%, nearly double national growth.
In all, Colorado Springs would lose up to 1,500 employees and hundreds of supporting contractors when the move to Huntsville was complete, according to Colorado Space Business Roundtable vice chair Shane Deichman.
“I’m personally concerned about the low-end transition and building out the networks (in Alabama) to replicate what we already have in Building 1 at Peterson Space Force Base,” Deichman said. “My great concern is that if you stop and take space command and relocate it, you have created a pause in operations that could invite an adversary to do something they might not otherwise do.”
Deichman, who has worked for several Huntsville-based organizations including Teledyne Brown Engineering, knows the city has a “tremendous legacy” when it comes to its history of space engineering and growth. The problem, however, is where their priorities lie.
“The focus of (Redstone Arsenal) is on testing and evaluation in the early stages of development,” he said. “They are not an operations center. That nuance got lost in the debate.”
Because of this, Colorado senators are concerned about national security, saying in their joint press release: “With Ukraine and China saber-rattling in the Pacific, national security cannot be just one of many criteria. It has to be the central priority.”
The secretary of defense has kept his thoughts on the matter secret, saying two years ago that he supports the Air Force leadership’s decision-making process. For now, aerospace leaders in Colorado continue to hold their breath awaiting a final decision.
“I applaud Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Benner for using the tools at their disposal to encourage ongoing dialogue,” Deichman said. “We all share the same ultimate ambition — we want a strong, capable, and effective U.S. Space Command that can prevent conflict.”