WASHINGTON – Alabama lawmakers are confident U.S. Space Command Headquarters is coming to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville now that President Donald Trump is in the White House.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Trump reaffirmed to him this month that he plans to move Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville from Colorado.
“Whether it’s this month or this week or next week or this month or next month, it’s going to happen, and I’m absolutely certain of that,” Rogers told Alabama Daily News.
Members of Alabama’s delegation introduced a bicameral resolution earlier this month arguing that the United States Air Force was just in selecting Redstone as the best location for the headquarters four years ago. It also encourages the Trump administration to establish the permanent headquarters there immediately.
The command directs military space operations, from communications and intelligence gathering to missile defense and radar.
The Air Force announced in January 2021 that a study of criteria such as mission capability and costs resulted in Redstone ranking No. 1 as a location. The U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office conducted a review of the selection process. The DoD IG review found that the search “was reasonable in identifying Huntsville as the preferred permanent location.”
“Let’s do what’s right for national security,” Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, told ADN. “Twenty-one categories pointed back to Huntsville, Alabama as the most qualified for that. I’m gonna continue to support the president in his first decision, and let’s move forward with it.”
In 2023, President Joe Biden decided to keep the headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado to not jeopardize military readiness. Colorado Springs was ranked fifth in the Air Force assessment.
“I hate that President Biden decided to make it political, but I’m glad that President Trump is going to put it back where it rightfully belongs, and that’s with the winning state and the winning city,” Rogers said.
Rogers said he also has talked with the mayor of Huntsville and the contractor who won the bid to build it and said they are all ready to go.
“As soon as the paperwork is signed by this administration, whether it’s President Trump or his Air Force Secretary, they’re ready to turn dirt,” Rogers said.