U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Harris, the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds” advance crew chief, assists U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Justin Elliot, Thunderbirds commander and leader, after landing at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, May 23, 2022. (U.S. Space Force photo by Paul Honnick/Public domain)
Colorado elected officials reinforced their position that U.S. Space Command should remain in Colorado after a U.S. representative from Alabama said he expects President-elect Donald Trump will move it to Huntsville, Alabama.
Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said in a radio interview Monday that he expects Trump will reverse the Biden administration’s decision to headquarter Space Command in Colorado. Colorado officials previously expressed concern that Trump’s decision during his first presidential term to move Space Command to Alabama was politically motivated, as he waited until after the 2020 election to announce the move. Alabama went for Trump in that election and Colorado went for President Joe Biden
Space Command has been at full operational capacity at the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs since December 2023, after Biden announced in July that year it would stay in Colorado. Colorado officials from both parties have advocated Space Command staying in Colorado. Peterson Air Force Base housed a previous version of Space Command from 1985 to 2002. The Air Force subsequently oversaw military space operations from the site.
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Jeff Crank, Republican representative-elect for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, said while campaigning that keeping Space Command in Colorado Springs would be a top priority if he were elected.
“Americans want a strong military and national security, and that’s why they overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump as our next President,” Crank said in a statement Wednesday. “To maintain operational readiness, U.S. Space Command headquarters should remain at Peterson Space Force Base. When I am sworn into office in January, I’ll work with our Colorado congressional delegation to protect our military assets.”
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado said in a statement that Colorado Springs has already proved to be the best location for Space Command “because it’s already at work here.”
“Alabama couldn’t win this fight on the merits so they’re trying to get Trump to overrule our national security and cost taxpayers an enormous amount for the sake of a hometown win,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We need leaders who fight for our national defense first, not just Huntsville’s economy.”
Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said every member of Colorado’s federal delegation, as well as military members, supports keeping Space Command in Colorado. In March 2023, a bipartisan group of Colorado officials wrote to Biden urging him to keep Space Command in Colorado.
“Colorado is the rightful home of Space Command and any effort to move this critical command center would waste billions of taxpayer dollars while negatively impacting our mission readiness,” Maruyama said in a statement. “Governor Polis expects President-Elect Trump to put members of our armed services and our national security over politics. If he moves it when he takes office, Trump is only hurting America’s national defense and our troops.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama cast his vote as the House of Representatives holds its second round of voting for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 18, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Britt: ‘No doubt’
Rogers said in a statement to Newsline that he is excited to work with Trump to “ensure Space Command is based in its rightful home in Huntsville” and that he’s “increasingly optimistic” the move will happen.
“President Trump initially chose Huntsville to be the home of Space Command because it was the best location,” Rogers said in a statement. “When President Biden tried to reverse that decision, he was putting his far left politics above national security as he did in so many other circumstances. Now, the American people have resoundingly chosen President Trump and his policies. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, I am excited to work with a real Commander in Chief.”
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, said there is “no doubt” that the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville should be the permanent home of Space Command headquarters.
“Huntsville finished first in the Air Force’s Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase and had the most advantages in the decision matrix,” Britt said in a statement. “President Trump will cast aside President Biden’s partisan political considerations and restore the Air Force’s merit-based decision to select Redstone Arsenal as the permanent basing location for Space Command HQ. I expect Space Command to come home to Alabama where it belongs.”
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat and Army veteran, said keeping Space Command in Colorado is the best choice for national security. A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said Colorado is “the rightful home” for Space Command.
“Our state’s space and military assets are critical to America’s national security, and Colorado is the best place for our service members and their families to train, live, work, and retire,” Bennet spokesperson Patrick Barham Quesada said in a statement. “No matter who is in the White House, Senator Bennet will keep fighting for the nearly 58,000 members of Colorado’s military community and the 340,000 veterans who call our state home.”
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Publish date : 2024-11-13 09:57:00
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