President Joe Biden has decided to keep the U.S. Space Command Headquarters in Colorado, rejecting former President Donald Trump’s push to move operations to Alabama.
Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said that Biden had spoken with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and senior military leaders before deciding to keep the Space Command Headquarters in Colorado Springs.
The presence of the Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs will ensure the U.S. maintains “peak readiness in the space domain… during a critical period,” Ryder said.
“It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests,” he added.
According to senior officials, the chief of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, convinced the president that moving his headquarters would threaten military readiness. Dickinson’s viewpoint, however, differed from that of Air Force leadership, which studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the best option.
Biden, they said, believes that keeping the command in Colorado Springs will avoid the disruption in readiness that the move would cause, especially as the country competes with China in space. They also added that the president is convinced that maintaining stability will let the military respond more effectively in space over the coming decade.
The decision drew ire from critics, with many noting that abortion politics played a role in Biden’s choice.
“The top three choices for Space Command headquarters were all in red states – Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas,” Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said in a statement. “Colorado didn’t even come close. This decision to bypass the three most qualified sites looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security.”
“This reversal is as shameful as it is disappointing. I expected more from the Biden Administration. A decision of this magnitude should not be about red states versus blue states, but rather what is best for our national security. To be clear, the Alabama Congressional Delegation stands united in opposition to this decision,” Democratic Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell said in her statement.
