COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS
By Troy Turner
Editor, senior consultant
AlaDefense.com
A multi-billion-dollar question of national security sits on the table.
Along with its answer comes a critical influence on the direction of future warfare and an accompaniment of defense industries that will solidify the mecca of American military space technology.
It is time to bring the U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama.
Space Command “plans, executes, and integrates military space power into multi-domain global operations,” involving the command of space assets used by all branches of the U.S. military.
Colorado officials think the effort to move Space Command HQ from its initial station in Colorado Springs is all about politics; Alabama officials think the effort to keep it in Colorado is all about politics.
There is, however, another facet to the debate beyond the obvious in national security and economic impact, and it is one that not every dog in the fight seems willing to acknowledge: For all their many cultural and geographic differences, the two states of Colorado and Alabama have one important space-related quality that makes them very similar to one another:
They both know success.
Dealing with cold, hard facts
Everyone who follows defense issues already is aware of the background. President Trump in his previous term endorsed Huntsville for the command, days before leaving office. Next, President Biden made the decision to place the headquarters in Colorado Springs. Congressional funding for building a permanent HQ was then halted pending more study and investigation, but mainly pending the results of the 2024 presidential election.
Trump won, with ruby red Alabama voters supporting him.
Biden’s party successor lost, with blue Colorado voters supporting her.
Elections have consequences, we’re told. But ignore that for a moment and consider the cold hard fact that Huntsville isn’t just a political choice, but a richly qualified one in which previous studies confirmed that Rocket City, USA, is more than deserving to host Space Command.
Among the highlights is Huntsville’s storied history of developing rockets and spacecraft, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the massive Redstone Arsenal, the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, the Missile Defense Agency, and seemingly every major defense contractor tied to space and missile defense.
Alabama is home to numerous space, rocket and missile research/production facilities such as Lockheed Martin’s Javelin missile production plant in Troy, and the company’s new research and development campuses in Courtland and Huntsville tied to its Next Generation Interceptor missile defense mission.
Cybersecurity advances are being explored on several of Alabama’s college campuses, such as at Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, which includes offices and programs in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill.
Huntsville also has close ties to a diverse military presence in Alabama that includes the U.S. Air Force and Space Force at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, which is home to the prestigious Air University; the home of Army aviation at Fort Novosel; and the Navy’s dependence on ship and submarine development in Mobile.
Space Command involves all of these parties, not just the Air/Space Forces, which both operate in Colorado Springs at Peterson Air/Space Force Bases. And, like Huntsville, a variety of commands and private industries successfully support the military in Colorado with a proven history of positive recognition.
Colorado also has its own notable history with space and missile defense; i.e., think Cheyenne Mountain.
Colorado’s temporary-only hosting of Space Command HQ, however, was clearly identified in 2020 by the Secretary of the Air Force “as the provisional HQ for USSPACECOM pending the selection of a preferred permanent location,” according to a government report.
Regardless, it remains the political arena where the most emotion continues to be spewed, as leaders in both states are well aware of the economic impact and the tremendous influence that comes with hosting the permanent headquarters for Space Command.
‘Let’s do what’s right’
Alabama Republican Congressman Dale Strong represents the Huntsville region and doesn’t hold back when asked his thoughts on the matter.
“The election is over. I believe Donald Trump is going to make a decision, I believe it will be imminent, and I believe we’ll be going vertical really quick here in Huntsville,” Strong said in an interview with AlaDefense.com.
Rep. Dale Strong, right, speaking with industry leaders at the 2024 Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
“I think everybody has heard all the data, and they’ve heard the spins some have placed on it, but no matter how they look at it, it was an evaluation that was thorough,” Strong said. “Let’s do what’s right for national security. Let’s go in here and solve this problem.
“This should have already been done years ago, but I believe that Donald Trump is thorough in his decision-making, and I’m more than confident that Rocket City USA in Huntsville, Alabama, will be chosen for U.S. Space Command.”
He’s not alone in sharing that confidence.
Fellow Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers shares similar sentiments, and he does so from the influential position of serving as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Perhaps more notable, he also was mentioned in numerous media reports days after the election as being a shortlist candidate for Trump’s choice as secretary of defense.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)
“Space Command will not be permanently based in Colorado Springs. It will be permanently based in Huntsville, Alabama,” Rogers emphatically told AlaDefense.com during an October 2023 interview in his office on Capitol Hill. “It’s just a matter of having to wait until after the next election.
“We have stopped any expenditure of money that would make that permanently based out there,” he said. “There was a national competition, and Huntsville won…. Biden did what he did for political reasons.
“After November’s general election, he won’t care anymore,” Rogers said. “That will be in Huntsville.”
A fight from the Rockies
Colorado representatives, naturally, share a different view.
They also likely are sensitive to the issue since the Secretary of the Air Force in 2019 announced six locations as finalists for Space Command HQ “because each qualified as a DoD space installation that was co‑located with another USSPACECOM component or center,” and four of the six were in Colorado:
–Buckley AFB, Aurora, Colorado
–Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colorado Springs, Colorado
–Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado
–Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama
–Schriever AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado
–Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc, California
“It seems to me that our strategy is pretty simple,” former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told The Colorado Sun. “No. 1, we have to convince the Trump administration that in a second term, there’s really no reason to be political about this. And you know, let’s make a decision that’s in the interests of national security and the American taxpayer. And that clearly weighs in favor of leaving it in Colorado Springs.
“Am I naive enough to think that those sorts of arguments will prevail this time when they didn’t in the previous Trump administration? I don’t know, but certainly that effort is going to be made.”
Former Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn suggested another tactic.
“We have to make the case and shame them into realizing that this is bad for national security, it’s political, it’s a jobs program at best for one state, but that’s not what is good for our national security,” he said in a radio interview. “We have to have operational readiness; we have that right now.”
Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat, released a statement Nov. 13 regarding the issue:
“Keeping Space Command in Colorado is in the best interest of national security. Space Command has reached full operational capability and moving it would disrupt its operations and growth, putting our troops and country at risk.
“Colorado has the workforce and infrastructure to ensure its success. I will work relentlessly with the Colorado delegation to keep Space Command in its rightful home of Colorado,” Crow said.
Another star in the crown
Having an adequate, well-trained workforce is another in the tit-for-tat battle between the two states, and Strong was quick to point out the value of education and success rates from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), which offers a wide variety of programs tailor-made for the space and missile defense industries in its community.
UAH is listed as a Public Research and Space Grant University, and its alumni ranks include the likes of “Dr. Jan Davis, former NASA Astronaut; Dr. Marc Bendickson, CEO of Dynetics; and Dr. Werner Dahm, Chief Scientist of the US Air Force,” according to its website.
“UAH is home to 10,000 students, with high ACT scores and 80 percent choosing never to leave this area,” Strong said, “so I think that’s another star in our crown.”
Other Space Grant programs in Alabama include Auburn University, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), University of South Alabama, Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University.
However, having Space Command in Huntsville would draw students from outside the state and “will affect colleges and universities all over the country,” Strong said. “The impact will be bigger than statewide. We are expecting students from other regions who will come because they want to work for Space Command.
“We have the workforce, we have the education level, and we have a lot of people from all over the country willing to fill these jobs,” Strong said. “What we want to do is ensure it’s the smoothest process that we’ve ever had.”
Quality-of-life factors matter too
Congressman Strong then switched gears a bit.
He is not only interested in recruiting Space Command HQ and smart students, but he also sees the potential of luring some of Colorado to Alabama.
“Huntsville has a lot of things in common with Colorado…. Colorado has had a lot of success over the years, but so has Redstone Arsenal and Huntsville,” Strong said. “We’re a proven commodity. People understand there’s a lot of success here.”
Beyond the scientific and research development success in Huntsville, he recites a long list of quality-of-life factors, including affordable housing, a popular bike-hike trail, bass fishing and an overall diverse outdoors scene in the foothills of the Appalachians; a new $75 million amphitheater; a new Minor League baseball stadium; and a short drive to bustling cities such as Nashville and Atlanta.
“A day trip can take you a long ways,” he said. “We see four seasons here. A lot of people like that…. We have a very up-to-date airport with the second-largest runway in the Southeast United States.
“The big thing is, give us a shot,” Strong said in his pitch to outsiders, including perhaps some of those already associated with Space Command in Colorado. “If they’re looking for a great community to live in, very cost effective, we’re that and more…. Look at these accolades for a better understanding.”
It’s time for competitors to become partners
Colorado has the scenic Rocky Mountains and a well-deserved reputation for an exciting outdoor environment of its own. It has a vibrant city life in Denver, including its professional sports teams.
It also has several important elements of the U.S. Space Force stationed there, such as the 4th Space Operations Squadron, for example, stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, operating the U.S. Space Force’s protected Military Satellite Communications system.
And, at least for the moment, Colorado still has the Space Command headquarters.
The studies, qualifications and maximum national security support, however, point to Huntsville for hosting Space Command on a permanent basis. In a nutshell, it’s all there, and more of it.
Colorado deserves to continue an important role in Space Command, and that should be something considered if and when the headquarters moves to Alabama. Colorado has a track record of success and many attributes that makes it attractive for any headquarters, but so does Huntsville, something many Coloradans don’t fully realize.
When it comes to national security, however, that is what should be the overriding factor, and Huntsville simply ranks higher with its wider spectrum of military, defense industry and academia participants already well-anchored in its dome of influence.
It is time to bring U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. His previous journalism experience includes several years spent in each of the states of Colorado and Alabama. He can be contacted at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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