Years after the first Trump administration moved to designate Alabama as the home of a permanent Space Command headquarters (HQ), the political tug-of-war for the base continues.
Colorado Republicans are urging the president to rethink the decision while Alabama lawmakers insist it will and should move forward.
After his May 13 confirmation, new Air Force Secretary Troy Meink can now expect a lot of calls from Capitol Hill pulling him in different directions over the HQ.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he had already discussed the matter with him.
“I look forward to his recommendation that he concur with the last two secretaries of the Air Force and recommend to Huntsville,” he said. “And I fully expect, based on our conversation, that’s going to be what happens.”
The Space Force’s home for the time being — Colorado Springs, Colorado — makes sense from the money that has already been invested in setting up shop there, according to Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., whose district encompasses the current HQ.
“It would mean $2 billion in savings to leave it where it is,” Crank told Fox News Digital, pointing to savings from not having to build a new HQ building.
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President Donald Trump announced plans to move headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, in his first term — but former President Joe Biden undid those plans when he came into office.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he had already discussed the matter with the new Air Force secretary. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Space Command has operated out of Peterson Space Force base in Colorado Springs since its 2019 inception. The command is responsible for military operations in space and will play a major role in the Golden Dome project.
Crank argues that geographically, Colorado makes more sense — it is also home to Northern Command, and the two will need to coordinate over Trump’s new Golden Dome missile defense project.
“They’ve got to be seamless in their efforts to communicate,” said Crank. “We don’t want any delay in getting Golden Dome up and running.”
He argued that Space Command HQ, nestled into Cheyenne Mountain, is already “one of the most secure facilities” in the country. Being in the middle of the U.S., he added, makes it harder for enemies to attack.
“From the standpoint of survivability, having that as an asset right there…
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