Local TPUSA chapter to host ‘The Fight for Space Command' at UAH theater
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Huntsville has been involved in a back-and-forth battle to stake claim over Space Command's new headquarters.
Members of the local chapter of Turning Point USA are set to host an informational session titled 'The Fight for Space Command' with Dylan Smith, District Director for U.S. Representative Dale Strong.
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The session will be held at the University of Alabama in Huntsville's Charger Union Theater on Thursday, March 20, at 11 a.m.
At the session, the effort to get Space Command moved back to Huntsville, DOGE and its impact on our local economy will be discussed along with other questions raised by the audience.
Admission is free and open to the public, and there will be a Q&A session. Snacks will be provided at the event.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP here.
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In November, state lawmakers were hopeful that the new presidential administration would bring Space Command to Huntsville, where it was voted to reside in 2022.
Huntsville was named a finalist in early 2021. Then, in 2022, the Department of Defense named the city as the 'preferred permanent location for U.S. Space Command headquarters.' The Rocket City finished first in both the Air Force's evaluation phase and the selection phase, while Colorado Springs finished fourth and fifth respectively.
In June 2023, a U.S. Space Command General reportedly confirmed to Alabama politicians in D.C. and the Alabama Delegation that the state is still 'the preferred location for SPACECOM headquarters.' However, come July 2023, the Pentagon released a statement that President Biden selected Colorado Springs as the permanent location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.
In September 2023, the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the decision for Space Command about the decision to select Colorado Springs over Huntsville for the command headquarters.
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U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, the committee chairman, said the committee's investigation determined that the justification of concerns about 'operational readiness' as the basis for leaving the headquarters in Colorado is 'just fabricated.'
In February, the General Assembly of the State of Ohio sent a petition to the Senate Armed Services Committee 'urging the federal government to select Ohio for the permanent headquarters of the United States Space Command.' The General Assembly of the State of Ohio stated that the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is 'uniquely situated' to help Space Command.
Because of this, the members of the 135th General Assembly of the State of Ohio are asking that the Senate pick Ohio as the new permanent home of Space Command since the government has not made a final decision on the final, permanent location.
In a 2023 plea to the federal government, Ohio State Representative Tom Patton said, 'Ohio is proud to be known as the 'birthplace of aviation.''
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