WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to announce today the moving of headquarters for US Space Command (SPACECOM) to Huntsville, Ala., according to a congressional source who confirmed multiple media reports to Breaking Defense.
The announcement would overturn a decision made by President Joe Biden to keep it located in Colorado Springs, Colo, which in turn followed Trump’s decision to move SPACECOM to Redstone Arsenal just before he left the Oval Office for the first time in January 2021.
Because of that back and forth, such a shift had been expected since Trump’s election in November 2024.
The SPACECOM basing decision has been a bone of contention between the Alabama and Colorado congressional delegations for the past six years.
Investigations in 2022 by both the Defense Department Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that internal Department of the Air Force studies between 2019 and 2021 deemed a move to Redstone Arsenal, Ala., was the best choice based on the metrics, especially costs. However, the investigations also found that top military brass protested that the negative effects of such a move on combat readiness were not properly taken into account by the studies.
A follow-up OIG investigation, released April 15, like those before it in essence shows that Biden’s July 2023 decision to keep SPACECOM HQ in Colorado was a judgement call about priorities.
And while there is no evidence to suggest any foul play, the choice cannot escape being viewed with a political lens. Alabama is a red state where Republicans hold sway, whereas Colorado is a blue state that largely votes Democrat.
Moving SPACECOM will be a complicated process, in particular with regard to ensuring there are enough facilities equipped for top secret-level and beyond communications and operations.
According to a Dec. 12, 2024 Congressional Research Service report, approximately 1,700 personnel are directly assigned to command’s headquarters. Further, about 18,000 joint force personnel are assigned to the command’s seven subcomponents, which are based in six states.
Nonetheless, experts point out that the move won’t be starting from scratch, as the Air Force previously drew up plans for housing SPACECOM HQ at a 60-acre site at Redstone. A US Army post, Redstone currently is home to a number of service organizations, including Army Space and Missile Defense Command. It also houses the Missile Defense Agency and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.