The Schriever Air Force Base, located 20 miles to the east of downtown Colorado Springs, may see up to $150 million in new construction if a bill before Congress becomes law.
That bill, approved on a 33 to 24 vote in the House Armed Services Committee, would designate the base as the home to what is being called the Space Force.
As detailed, the legislation would see the building of a crucial and high-tech space operations center at Schriever.
The Space Force initiative was touted in early 2018 by President Trump. Subsequent details released by the White House said the Space Force would be made up of experts from other branches of the military brought into provide their cyber, engineering, intelligence and operations expertise.
The original White House proposal called for making the Space Force a reality by 2020 even in the face of opposition from Congressional members concerned about its costs.
The House committee legislation discards the 2020 date, targeting instead January 1, 2021 as the date upon which the official organizing for the Space Force will begin.
Established in the mid-1980s, the Schriever Air Force Base is the home to the 50th Space Wing of the Air Force Space Command, which oversees the operation of nearly two hundred Defense Department communications satellites.
By Garry Boulard
