11/23/2023 0 Comments Avid icon dcommand![]() ![]() Current text of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which has not yet been passed into law, would require Kendall to submit a decision before the Air Force could access funds for construction on SPACECOM headquarters. The decision sparked a fierce debate among lawmakers who demanded Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall decide where the permanent base would be. The Associated Press first reported the news Monday. “National security is too critical to allow for any delays.” “We live in dangerous times and we do not have the luxury of starting over with the headquarters in another location,” said Lamborn in a statement Monday. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado and chair of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces, hailed Biden’s decision to keep Space Command headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base, calling it “the most viable option” and the “best permanent home” for the military’s newest combatant command. Colorado Springs is home to Peterson Space Force Base, previously known as Peterson Air Force Base. Huntsville is currently the home of the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, which includes the service’s Space and Missile Defense Command. “I am outraged to hear that the Secretary of the Air Force allowed politics to circumvent his, and the Department of Defense’s, own basing selection process that determined Huntsville, Alabama as the preferred location of SPACECOM,” Republican Rep. ![]() Katie Britt of Alabama said in a statement that Biden “irresponsibly decided to yank a military decision out of the Air Force’s hands in the name of partisan politics.” The US official said that several issues factored into Biden’s decision, including “quality-of-life for servicemembers and families, including quality of schools and military housing.” But the official said “the most significant factor considered was impact to operational readiness to confront space-enabled threats during a critical time in this dynamic security environment.”Īlabama’s congressional delegation expressed outrage at the decision on Monday. “I will continue to fight this as long as it takes to bring Space Command where it would be best served-Huntsville, Alabama.” ![]() “This is absolutely not over,” Tuberville said in a statement. Tuberville said the decision was a “disastrous” choice and called it “shameful” that the Biden administration announced its decision while Congress was on recess. Pressure on Tuberville intensifies over hold on military nominations (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images The Senator spoke on legislation that would curb the increasing cost of higher education and would attempt to lower the amount of debt students take on. ![]() Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks at a press conference on student loans at the U.S. The Department of Defense informed Tuberville’s office and the rest of the Alabama congressional delegation of the decision Monday afternoon before the news was announced publicly, an administration official said. But US officials have previously told CNN that they had concerns about Alabama’s reproductive health policies and what it would mean for servicemembers there if SPACECOM were moved to Huntsville. Tuberville has been an outspoken proponent of moving SPACECOM to Alabama. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is continuing a hold on senior military nominations that is now impacting more than 300 flag and general officers over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. The move is sure to anger Republican Sen. “The Department of the Air Force will now work expeditiously to implement the decision,” he said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did not make a recommendation, but presented Biden with both Kendall and Dickinson’s advice.įollowing the announcement, Kendall said he will “fully support” the president’s decision. James Dickinson, who argued that the headquarters should remain in Colorado because it will be fully operational in August and moving it now would jeopardize military readiness, one official said. Former Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett also chose Huntsville as the preferred location for SPACECOM headquarters in 2021.īut Biden ultimately followed the advice of the head of Space Command, Gen. US Space Command, which is a joint command and separate from the US Space Force military branch, is currently housed in Colorado Springs, but the Air Force recommended near the end of Trump’s presidency that the command be moved to Huntsville, Alabama.Īir Force Secretary Frank Kendall recently recommended to Biden that the headquarters be moved to Alabama in line with the initial Air Force recommendation, according to two US officials. President Joe Biden has decided that the headquarters of US Space Command will remain in Colorado and not move to Alabama, two US officials told CNN on Monday, reversing a decision by then-President Donald Trump. ![]()
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