WASHINGTON — A new Department of Defense Inspector General report reveals the back-and-forth debate between top defense officials on choosing a permanent home for Space Command, including the time it would take to transition the headquarters and how to keep civilian workers.
Alabama lawmakers remain confident Huntsville will ultimately get the headquarters. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, requested the report. He said it signals again that the headquarters belongs at Redstone Arsenal rather than in Colorado and shows a “lack of transparency” from the Biden administration.
“After years of promises about ‘due diligence’ and ‘careful consideration,’ political employees at the White House cut out the Air Force and senior defense leaders to select Colorado over Alabama as the site for SPACECOM headquarters,” Rogers said in a statement.
The report posted publicly on Tuesday is partially redacted. It found that Redstone Arsenal was the Department of the Air Force’s preferred location for the headquarters despite possible risks to military readiness that could come from the move.
The Air Force asserted those risks could be mitigated by hiring more personnel at Redstone Arsenal and Colorado Springs and phasing in the transition. The report highlighted that moving the headquarters to Huntsville was $426 million cheaper than keeping it in Colorado “because of lower personnel costs and construction savings.”
However, the commander of U.S. Space Command was focused on operational risk when considering the permanent home for Space Command, according to the report.
“USSPACECOM assessed that its readiness would begin to be negatively affected by a loss of civilian personnel following the announcement of a relocation from Colorado Springs,” the report read.
The report highlights officials’ concerns that most of the 1,000 civilian workers at Space Command would not relocate to another location if the headquarters moved.
The investigation also revealed that it could take three to four years to build temporary facilities at Redstone Arsenal that would have the same capabilities that already existed in Colorado Springs.
Alabama lawmakers expect Secretary of Air Force nominee Troy Meink to announce that Space Command will move to Huntsville once he’s confirmed to his post. The Senate is out on recess until April 28, so no confirmation votes will happen until they return to Washington. Rogers said in a podcast earlier this month that he expects the decision to be made in April.
The IG did not interview former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall or former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the report because the White House counsel’s office and DOD general counsel’s office required lawyers to be present for the interviews, citing presidential executive privilege. The IG chose not to comply with those demands as it could have restricted its access to confidential information.
The IG report found it could not determine why the former Air Force Secretary never formally announced that SPACECOM would move to Redstone Arsenal.
The Air Force named Redstone Arsenal the preferred location for the headquarters in 2021.
President Joe Biden announced in 2023 that the headquarters would remain in Colorado Springs, which was serving as the temporary home for it, citing the need for military readiness.
“This dangerous and dishonest decision was followed by months of cover-ups and unanswered questions regarding the cost of placing the headquarters in Colorado, the security concerns around placing the headquarters in an aging commercial building in a residential area, and cleverly worded statements about ‘operational capabilities,’” Rogers said in a statement.
Alabama’s Republican lawmakers said the Biden administration chose Colorado for political reasons instead of merit.
“This revelation is deeply troubling and represents a clear deviation from the rigorous, objective process that initially ranked Huntsville as the top choice,” Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, emphasized that the Air Force has recommended the headquarters be built in Huntsville.
“The bottom line is this: The Air Force recommended U.S. Space Command Headquarters be built in Huntsville, Alabama,” Strong said in a statement. “It is past time to go vertical at Redstone Arsenal. I trust that President Trump and his Secretary of the Air Force will ultimately do what is right for national security.”
Colorado’s Republican delegation last week sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing their support for keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs, arguing a move would disrupt military capabilities.
Gov. Kay Ivey also urged Trump and top administration officials to establish Huntsville as the permanent headquarters by signing Senate Joint Resolution 63 Tuesday, which calls for the immediate move to Redstone Arsenal.
“Alabama Republicans and Democrats – along with the facts – agree the U.S. Space Command Headquarters belongs in Huntsville, Alabama!” Ivey said in a statement.