HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A new inspector general report says that in multiple reviews, Redstone Arsenal was consistently found to be the preferred choice for a permanent headquarters for Space Command.
The reviews found that moving the headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville could save $426 million, primarily due to lower costs for construction and personnel. However, in the summer of 2023, Colorado Springs was selected as the permanent home for Space Command’s headquarters.
The new report doesn’t get into the politics of the command’s location or relocation, but those concerns have been considerable.
In 2021, when Donald Trump was first president, Huntsville was named as a finalist for Space Command’s location. In 2022, the Department of Defense named Redstone Arsenal as the preferred permanent location for the headquarters and found that the evaluation process had been done in a reasonable manner.
Then, in 2023, former President Joe Biden decided to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs, where it had been temporarily based pending a final decision. According to AP, officials said the president was convinced by then Space Command Head General James Dickinson, who argued the move would negatively affect military readiness, a view in contrast to Air Force leadership at the time.
Biden’s decision led to calls for investigations into the former president’s decision from Alabama lawmakers, including Congressmen Mike Rogers and Dale Strong and Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt.
Since Trump took office again in January, those same Alabama lawmakers have said the president supports moving Space Command to Redstone Arsenal. Last week, Rogers went as far as saying he expected an announcement on the relocation this month.
Though the Inspector General report does not get into those political details, it does give a detailed timeline of the military deliberation that led to the 2023 decision to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs.
There is plenty in the IG’s report that says that Redstone Arsenal was the Air Force’s preferred choice for Space Command.
In January 2021, Redstone Arsenal was announced the preferred choice for space command’s permanent headquarters, and a later environmental impact study found no problems with that. However, the Air Force never followed through with beginning to move the headquarters. The IG report also said that in late 2022, there was a briefing prepared announcing the Redstone decision, but that announcement didn’t take place.
Then, in early 2023, SPACECOM stopped communicating with Redstone officials about construction plans.
There are a couple of wrinkles that SPACECOM’s commander seemed to focus on while arguing for Colorado Springs to keep the installation back in 2023, chiefly related to readiness and personnel losses if the headquarters were to move. Dickinson also expressed concern about moving during a period when China is aggressively seeking to beef up its space capabilities.
While he had concerns about the move, other Air Force leaders and experts said planning would mitigate any personnel and readiness issues. However, the report also estimated that construction and full technology conversion at Redstone could take 3-4 years.
It should be noted that there are several redactions in the report. You can see the full report here.
Congressman Robert Aderholt sent News 19 the following statement regarding the report:
“The findings in the Inspector General’s report confirm what many of us in Alabama have long suspected — that the Biden Administration’s decision to move U.S. Space Command to Colorado Springs was driven by politics, not merit. This revelation is deeply troubling and represents a clear deviation from the rigorous, objective process that initially ranked Huntsville as the top choice.
While the redactions contained in this public report make for obscure reading, the conclusion could not be clearer: Huntsville earned its ranking fair and square, based on strategic value, existing infrastructure, and quality of life in North Alabama. To disregard those facts for political reasons not only undermines public trust but also compromises our military readiness.
However, I remain confident that with new leadership at the Department of the Air Force, we will see this wrong decision corrected. I believe the new Secretary of the Air Force will take a fresh, apolitical look at the facts and restore integrity to this process.
I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure that national security decisions are made on the merits, not political convenience.”
Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)
Congressman Dale Strong also spoke out after the release of the report.
“The Inspector General’s report proves once again that President Trump was right in 2021 – U.S. Space Command Headquarters should be at Redstone Arsenal based on merit and what is best for national security. The report exposes how the Biden administration bypassed the selection process and recommendations from Air Force and top defense leaders and selected Colorado in an attempt to further President Biden’s political agenda. The bottom line is this: The Air Force recommended U.S. Space Command Headquarters be built in Huntsville, Alabama. 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.”
Congressman Dale Strong
Governor Kay Ivey also signed a resolution on Tuesday asking for Space Command to be moved to Alabama “immediately.“
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