Patrick Space Force Base to add buildings for STARCOM as field command moves from Colorado
A future pair of modular buildings for STARCOM personnel is slated for construction at Patrick Space Force Base in a grassy field west of The Tides Collocated Club, environmental permitting records show.
STARCOM — or Space Training and Readiness Command Headquarters — is in the midst of moving to Patrick from its former home at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
The field command's geographic shift from Colorado to Florida's Space Coast comes as President Donald Trump is lobbying in favor of the proposed $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense system, which would include space-based sensors and interceptors. On May 20, Trump tapped Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to lead the campaign.
Last month, Space Launch Delta 45 officials applied for St. Johns River Water Management District permitting to install two modular buildings measuring 22,898 square feet and 22,737 square feet for STARCOM, along with a 133-space parking lot and dry stormwater retention area.
This 4.2-acre footprint off West Tech Road lies within a previously developed and demolished area on base. SJRWMD officials issued a stormwater management system permit on May 8.
STARCOM is the Space Force's training hub for warfighting in space, including doctrine, tactics and techniques.
"The decision to host STARCOM HQ and Space Delta 10 at Patrick came after conducting a site survey to assess the base's ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity, while accounting for community support, environmental factors, and cost. The Department of the Air Force also conducted an environmental impact analysis," a STARCOM spokesperson said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY.
"Last year, Patrick welcomed its first cohort of STARCOM Guardians, who are currently on the ground, rapidly establishing an initial operating capability for later in 2025," the statement said.
"Over the coming years, STARCOM will steadily transition a force of more than 450 personnel as it completes its move. These personnel consist of a mix of uniformed Guardians and Airmen, federal civilians, and contractors," the statement said.
STARCOM will use existing and temporary buildings in the Patrick area until the permanent facilities are constructed, the statement said.
Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, who commands STARCOM, delivered the keynote address during Florida Institute of Technology fall commencement ceremonies in December.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: STARCOM moving from Colorado to Florida amid Trump's 'Golden Dome' push
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NWSL's Angel City wears T-shirts reading `Immigrant City Football Club'
Angel City, the National Women's Soccer League team based in Los Angeles, distributed T-shirts to fans on Saturday that proclaimed 'Immigrant City Football Club.' Members of the team and the coaching staff also wore the shirts before their game Saturday night against the North Carolina Courage in solidarity with immigrants in the city who have been targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The back of the shirts said 'Los Angeles is for Everyone' in English and Spanish. The team said some 10,000 shirts were distributed. Protests over President Donald Trump's immigration policies broke out in Los Angeles a week ago. National Guard members and Marine troops have been sent into the city and dozens of similar protests have broken out nationwide. Last week Angel City issued a statement on social media addressing the protests. 'We are heartbroken by the fear and uncertainty many in our Los Angeles community are feeling right now,' it said. 'At Angel City, we believe in the power of belonging. We know that our city is stronger because of it's diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it and call it home.' The players' unions for the NWSL and the WNBA also expressed solidarity with families 'facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration.' 'We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go,' the NWSLPA and WNBPA posted jointly. 'Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Politics was never brought into this neighbourhood': Minnesota community stunned by murders
The calm of an affluent cul-de-sac, north of Minneapolis, has been shattered. Yellow tape, establishing a police cordon, now marks it as the scene of a double murder. Former state speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were gunned down in their own home in the early hours of Saturday. The gardens in this street are immaculately manicured but John Sampson is tending his again, a distraction tactic perhaps. He knew the murdered couple well. His daughter was their babysitter. "Very kind, very neighbourly, very intelligent," he recalls. Of Ms Hortman, he said: "She would know other people that were on the other side of the aisle, but it didn't matter to her. "Politics was never brought into the neighbourhood." Other neighbours remained behind closed doors, where they had initially been ordered to shelter following two gun attacks. Long-standing state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette had been shot and wounded in their home. Police officers sent to check on his Democratic colleague, Melissa Hortman, were too late. They encountered a man disguised as a police officer leaving her home and exchanged fire with him, but he escaped, sparking a manhunt. Minnesota governor Mike Walz, who ran for vice president last year, described the murders as "politically motivated". That's something the residents of this suburban network of streets find hard to comprehend. "Nationally and stuff, things are very volatile in the political scene and I just pray that it's not here," John Sampson told me. "I hoped it would never come anywhere near here, that anyone has to go through this type of tragedy." "I feel very sad for the children and for the family left behind," he added. Read more from Sky News:Trooping the Colour - see best pics Ms Hortman was a Democrat but voted with Republicans last Thursday to get a budget bill through. The compromise was painful for her - withholding free healthcare from undocumented migrants. Speaking afterwards, she tearfully explained: "I know that people will be hurt by that vote, and we worked very hard to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision." Whatever the motivation for the murders of the politician and her husband, two children have lost both their parents. And gun violence has claimed more lives in a deeply polarised America.
18 minutes ago
Authorities still searching for suspect in shooting of 2 Minnesota state lawmakers
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. -- A massive search was stretching into its second day for a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her suburban Minneapolis home, an act Gov. Tim Walz called 'a politically motivated assassination.' Authorities said the suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was trying to flee the area. Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Authorities identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, and the FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. They shared a photo taken Saturday of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat and asked the public to report sightings. Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out in the search for the suspect. Authorities had not given any details on a possible motive as of Saturday night. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other. The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump, though some went ahead anyway. Authorities said the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets. A Minnesota official told AP the suspect's writings also contained information targeting prominent lawmakers who have been outspoken in favor of abortion rights. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he was believed to still be armed with a pistol, a person familiar with the matter told AP. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions. 'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' said Walz, a Democrat. He also ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Hortman's honor. 'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' President Donald Trump said in a statement. Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans' home shortly after 2 a.m., Champlin police said, and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds. After seeing who the victims were, police sent officers to proactively check on Hortman's home. There they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house. 'When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home' and escaped on foot, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman's home. John and Yvette Hoffman each underwent surgery, according to Walz. Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita. Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them. Walz called her a 'formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota." Hortman and her husband had two adult children. The initial autopsy reports from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office gave their cause of death as 'multiple gunshot wounds.' The reports said Melissa Hortman died at the scene while her husband was pronounced dead at the hospital. Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one daughter. Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board in 2016 and then reappointed in 2019 to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show. Corporate records show Boelter's wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. Boelter's wife is listed as president and CEO and he is listed as director of security patrols on the company's website. The website says the company provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest. An online resume says Boelter is a security contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota. Around 6 a.m., Boelter texted friends to say he had 'made some choices,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. In the messages, read to reporters by David Carlson, Boelter did not specify what he had done but said: 'I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way. … I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.' Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack 'evil' and said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' by the killings. The shootings are the latest in a series of attacks against lawmakers across parties. In April a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect said he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents. In July 2024, Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter. Two months later a man with a rifle was discovered near the president's Florida golf course and arrested. Other incidents include a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and start a civil war. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he asked Capitol Police to 'immediately increase security' for Minnesota Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. He also asked Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, to hold a briefing on member security. Karnowski reported from Minneapolis, and Durkin Richer from Washington. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell'Orto in Champlin, Minnesota, Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York, and Michael Biesecker in Washington contributed.
