Skirmishing over where the U.S. Space Command will set up its permanent headquarters continues in Washington, with Colorado still seen to be in the running for the project.
In 2021, the Air Force Department announced that the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, had been selected as home to the Command, beating out six finalists that included the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and most importantly, the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Some analysts thought that Peterson had a leg up on the competition, because it has served as the provisional headquarters for the Command and is part of a larger concentration of military installations. Colorado Springs is also the home to the Air Force Academy.
But while the Redstone decision appeared to push matters in one direction, new reports are indicating that the Biden Administration is reconsidering Alabama due to the state’s restrictive abortion laws, which were earlier approved by Governor Kay Ivey.
“The belief is that they are delaying any move because of the abortion issue,” a government official was quoted as saying in the publication Business Insider, referencing a possible Biden pullback from Redstone.
In response, Alabama Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the Housed Arms Services Committee, has told Politico that “Huntsville has won the competition and they’re going to get the permanent base.”
Rogers added that any notion that funding or authorization for the Space Command being set up somewhere else is “mistaken.”
For her part, Governor Ivey has issued a statement asking that the entire matter be settled soon: “Alabama is eager for our country to win the space race, not slow walk our way there,” she said, before adding: “Let me repeat what everyone already knows: Alabama is the only rightful home for Space Command headquarters, and supporting this mission is critical to the advancement of our national security.”
Colorado Democrat Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are pushing for the Biden Administration to reverse the Redstone decision in favor of Peterson. The Senators reportedly have spoken to the President on the matter.
Meanwhile, a draft of a bill in Congress has been revealed that would prohibit funding for any new construction projects at Peterson Air Force Base unless and until the Air Force makes a final announcement in favor of the Redstone location.
By Garry Boulard
