Colorado and New Mexico are among the states asking for a review of how the Redstone Army Air Field near Huntsville, Alabama came to be chosen as the permanent location for the big Space Command Headquarters.
For months, officials in those two states, as well as in Florida, Nebraska, and Texas, have lobbied to secure the headquarters designation, with Colorado long regarded as the frontrunner due to the fact that the Command’s headquarters have been established on a temporary basis at the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Looking at the existing infrastructure already in place for the Space Command in Colorado Springs, the Washington Examiner recently concluded: “Politicians from other states may say otherwise, but the evidence clearly indicates that the Space Command should stay where it is.”
According to sources, the Air Force, some weeks ago, had actually decided in favor of Peterson and informed President Trump of that choice, before the White House announced Redstone as the new home for the Command.
In a statement, New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan has called for a Congressional investigation looking into the selection process. “I intend to bring this issue up with the incoming administration,” Lujan, who was hoping to see the headquarters set up at the Kirtland Air Force Base, commented.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has additionally called for a look into the selection process, contending that if the Redstone decision stands it will “cost American taxpayers potentially billions of dollars and would be fiscally irresponsible.”
Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn has described the decision as “horrendous,” sending a letter to President Biden asking him to use his office “to reverse this foolish and hastily made decision.”
The Space Command, the newest branch of the armed services, is designed as a unified combat command overseeing all of the country’s military operations in space.
By Garry Boulard
