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American Military News
2 days ago
- Business
- American Military News
Alabama vs. Colorado: Space Command HQ location debate unresolved in new GAO report
A new review by congressional auditors finds U.S. Space Command is struggling with hiring and headquarters construction almost 18 months after it declared itself operationally ready. It also calls into question the Air Force's claim that moving the headquarters to Redstone Arsenal would result in hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings – a key justification that has been seized on by Alabama politicians in recent years. The report by the Government Accountability Office is the latest in a series of reviews of a 2023 decision by former President Joe Biden to locate the new command's permanent headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., where it had been temporarily housed. That choice came despite the U.S. Air Force naming Redstone Arsenal as the 'preferred location' in 2021 following a lengthy selection process. Since then, politicians from Colorado and Alabama have sparred over the proper location. Just this year, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Sen. Katie Britt and Rep. Dale Strong of Huntsville called on President Donald Trump to 'immediately proceed' to establish its permanent headquarters at Redstone. Last month, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a joint resolution in support as well. The report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office finds Space Command's headquarters operates out of four facilities in Colorado Springs, Colo. – only two of which are on secure military installations – and remains well short of its civilian staffing needs. 'Officials told us … the Command requires military construction of a permanent, purpose-built facility that is better suited to meet its unique power, information technology, square footage, and security needs,' auditors wrote. Due to the struggles with staffing and delays in construction, auditors wrote in the new report, Space Command's 'current command posture is not sustainable long-term.' Auditors attributed the delays in headquarters construction in part to a provision U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama's 3rd Congressional District added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that halted money on Space Command's headquarters pending the outcome of two reviews: this one and one by the Pentagon's Inspector General. The halt has since lapsed, but as of March, Space Command officials told GAO auditors, there were, 'no updates on funding' for headquarters construction in Colorado Springs. Rogers said in an emailed statement that the report 'yet again affirms' that Huntsville is the best location for Space Command headquarters. He accused Biden of putting political concerns ahead of national security. 'This blatant interference and politization of a critical decision on national security would cost the taxpayer over $420 million,' Rogers said. 'President Trump chose the best location for SPACECOM headquarters. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to rectify yet another one of Biden's national security blunders.' Republican Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs posted on X, 'The release of today's GAO Report is clear: Colorado Springs is the best home for U.S. Space Command's headquarters. Continued efforts to move the headquarters only hurts our national security.' In a statement to Strong pointed out that the GAO report highlights, 'inadequate and dispersed facilities, staffing shortages, and outdated infrastructure' in and around Peterson Space Force Base. 'Keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs is projected to cost the taxpayer $426 million more than it would to transition to Huntsville,' he said. 'It's time to move forward with what's best for national security and bring U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama.' The latest re-evaluation of the selection of a permanent headquarters for the U.S. military's newest combatant command reveals a handful of new details in the yearslong process. But it does not resolve the central conflict over cost vs. readiness, with the Air Force emphasizing the former in preferring Redstone Arsenal and Space Command the latter in preferring Colorado Springs. While the new report reiterates that the U.S. Air Force's recommendation the command be moved to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama is largely justified by the service's own selection criteria, it offers new details that auditors say call into question the validity of the Air Force's conclusions. A key sticking point – the disagreement between the Air Force and Space Command over how strongly to weigh costs vs. interruption of readiness – remains unresolved in part because a consultant hired by the Air Force to study the matter did not sufficiently document the process by which it arrived at $426 million in estimated cost savings by moving the command to Redstone. GAO auditors noted the Air Force itself assigned a confidence level to the cost savings of just 5%, which they called, 'a low level of confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the estimate.' As a result, the GAO report stated, some of the cost benefits the Air Force attributed to a move to Redstone 'were not rooted in complete or reliable analysis.' The GAO's review is the second of two requested by Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee. Last year, he asked the GAO and the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate the siting decision. In April, the Pentagon's IG report revealed concerns at the highest levels of Space Command that up to a thousand crucial civilian employees would refuse to relocate from Colorado to Alabama if the headquarters were to be moved to Redstone Arsenal. The GAO report, in turn, points to Space Command's continued problems in hiring civilian staffers, which are expected to make up 60% of overall command staff. As of October, Space Command had filled just 1,024 of 1,379 authorized positions, including 576 of 809 government civilian positions. The challenge arose due to 'uncertainty regarding the Command's final location and the complexities of hiring government civilians over the more straightforward process of assigning military personnel,' auditors wrote. About 380 temporary contractor personnel have been working for Space Command in Colorado Springs since it reached full operational capacity in December 2023. Space Command is the unified combat command for military space operations. The U.S. Space Force trains and equips most forces under Space Command, though the latter includes small elements from the other service branches. Space Command is charged with defending space and delivering space capabilities to joint and combined U.S. and allied forces. Locating the command in Huntsville would bring at least 1,600 new jobs, has reported. ___ © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congressman says Space Command weeks away from moving to Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) says it could only be a matter of weeks before the decision to move the nation's Space Command headquarters to Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal becomes official. A report released by the Government Accountability Office stated the '…. Command's posture is not suitable long term…' in Colorado, among other findings. But Colorado lawmakers have vowed to fight moving the Space Command HQ to Alabama. Congressman Aderholt said that President Donald Trump has announced plans for Golden Dome — an effort to defend the U.S. against missiles. He said the President can't move forward with that project fully until a decision is made on Space Command. 'Without Space Command, President Trump really can't move forward in a meaningful way with Golden Dome,' said Aderholt. 'So, getting this to Huntsville, getting this set up, I think it is imperative for the President's mission with Golden Dome to move forward.' Completed Northern Beltline expected to increase business, save lives in Jefferson County Congressman Aderholt said he and his colleagues are in constant contact with the White House about Space Command. 'We feel like that the President made that commitment to move Space Command from Colorado, and it wasn't a political decision,' he said. 'It was a decision based on the facts.' State Rep. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest) said the move adds to the state's footprint on defense. 'Huntsville is known for its legacy in space exploration, its rockets, and the aerospace industry,' Whitt said. 'But, with our current innovation with the defense industry here in Huntsville, it's just a natural fit.' Whitt explained Huntsville is well prepared for the move, and its impact will be far reaching on the state overall. 'We have over four hundred defense contractors in our city here ready to go to work for the U.S., and our safety,' he said. 'So, we're very excited about it. I think it will bring jobs, an economic boom here for the town.' Congressman Aderholt said, ultimately, it will be President Trump's decision on where the headquarters will end up. He said to stay tuned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Space Command Headquarters in Colorado 'Not Sustainable' Without New Construction, GAO Finds
A new congressional watchdog report looking into whether U.S. Space Command's headquarters would be best served by remaining in Colorado found that new construction would be needed to fix significant problems, a major revelation as the Trump administration weighs moving the command to Alabama. The Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog agency, published a report Thursday examining how former President Joe Biden's administration chose Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as Space Command's headquarters location despite the Air Force identifying Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as its preferred location, selected in the waning days of President Donald Trump's first term in 2021. "The command is fully operational, but U.S. Space Command officials told GAO that they faced ongoing personnel, facilities and communications challenges," the report detailed. "As a result of identified challenges, officials stated the command's posture is not sustainable long term and new military construction would be needed to support the headquarters' operations in Colorado Springs, Colorado." Read Next: Trump Pardons Former Army Officer Convicted of Disobeying COVID-19 Safety Rules The political fight over Space Command's future in either Alabama or Colorado has been a partisan tug-of-war for more than four years between the Trump and Biden's administrations, as well as the two states' delegations in Washington. Ultimately, with Trump back in office, many Republican lawmakers have been teasing for months that the president or his recently confirmed secretary of the Air Force would reverse Biden's decision. Thursday's GAO report is just the latest round in the battle over the command's location. Colorado's delegation, as well as other lawmakers, requested a GAO and Department of Defense inspector general's report following Trump's 2021 announcement, and Alabama lawmakers requested two similar probes into Biden's move to reverse that choice in 2023. Defense budgeting experts such as Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the revelation that new construction would be required for Space Command to stay in Colorado is a blow to that state's lawmakers. "The main argument for keeping it in Colorado was always that new construction would not be needed right away," Harrison told "But if that situation has changed, it certainly makes Alabama more favorable." The uncertainty in the final basing location has led to personnel issues, the GAO report said, revealing that Space Command was not fully staffed as of fall 2024 -- filling only 1,024 of 1,379 authorized positions, including 576 of 809 government civilian positions. Space Command officials interviewed by the GAO said this was "due to uncertainty regarding the command's final location and the complexities of hiring government civilians over the more straightforward process of assigning military personnel." In addition to the staffing woes, Space Command officials said existing facilities had shortcomings, noting they required "military construction of a permanent, purpose-built facility that is better suited to meet its unique power, information technology, square footage and security needs." The officials also told the GAO that "without new construction, command, control, and mission operations will continue to operate inefficiently with greater vulnerabilities to mission, facilities, and personnel." While being in Colorado and near other bases and commands -- U.S. Northern Command is nearby, for example -- offers benefits such as enhanced communication networks, there are also issues with sharing information technology networks with Peterson Space Force Base, the officials added. Alissa Czyz, director of the GAO's Defense Capabilities and Management team, told that the new report probed how Biden's decision was made, as well as what issues currently face Space Command. "There was some rigorous analysis performed, kind of in response to some shortcomings identified both by GAO and IG [the DoD inspector general] in our original reports, citing the need for additional analyses and also incorporating military leaders' views of the risks with whatever location," Czyz said. The GAO probe was one of two investigations into the Biden administration's decision requested by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., alongside a Pentagon inspector general investigation that was released last month. Rogers used his power over the Armed Services Committee to insert language into the annual defense policy bill in 2023 that temporarily halted funding for any Space Command headquarters construction pending the results of the investigations. Thursday's GAO report noted that, in July 2023, Space Command "proposed a construction project for a new multistory, permanent headquarters facility to replace its current temporary and leased facilities," which would start in 2029 and be complete by 2034 for a price tag of $1.5 billion. But Rogers' halt on construction funding froze those developments. "According to U.S. Space Command officials, this project was put on hold and no further planning for the construction of a headquarters facility in Colorado Springs had been initiated as of March 2025," the GAO report noted. Rogers released a statement on the new GAO report Thursday saying the findings provide further reason for the command to move to his state. "The GAO report yet again affirms that Huntsville is the best option for Space Command s headquarters," Roger said in the release. "When making his decision to locate the combatant command headquarters in Huntsville, President Trump prioritized transparency, national security, and a commitment to saving taxpayer dollars." Notably, neither former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall nor former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Pentagon investigators, citing privileged conversations with former President Biden. The DoD IG report, released in April, showed key details were still missing as to how Kendall identified Redstone Arsenal in Alabama as the preferred location, but Biden made the ultimate announcement and call. Czyz told that the GAO spoke with Kendall; according to her, he told investigators that "he was informed of the decision shortly before it happened." They also spoke with other senior defense and Air Force officials, but were not able to get information from the Biden White House, she added. The multiple investigations since 2021 have done little to sway opinion on Capitol Hill, where the Alabama and Colorado delegations have dug in and claimed vindication after each successive report. Colorado lawmakers appeared unready to give up Thursday, despite the GAO findings. "The release of today's GAO report is clear: Colorado Springs is the best home for U.S. Space Command's headquarters. Continued efforts to move the headquarters only hurts [sic] our national security," Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, posted on social media. "Space Command is fully operational, and the Department of Defense needs to move quickly to construct a permanent HQ at Peterson Space Force Base to put the issue to bed, once and for all." Related: Key Details Still Missing on Why Biden Made Final Call on Space Command's HQ, New Report Details
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
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. Read On The Fox News App "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. China Accuses Us Of 'Turning Space Into A Warzone' With Trump's Golden Dome Missile Defense Project 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. 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 as well is, is really important." Rogers brushed off the complaints from his Colorado counterparts and argued Alabama had won fair and square. "They're just doing their job, you know, they don't want to see it leave," said Rogers. But, "they lost two nationwide competitions. It's not me saying it should be in Huntsville." Hegseth Orders Sweeping Army Overhaul And Consolidation Aimed At Countering China And Golden Dome Capabilities He argued that right now, the command is spread out across four to five different buildings, some of which are outside the base perimeter. "None of them were built for classified operations," he said. "They just kind of make it work." Rogers pointed to a recent Defense Department inspector general (IG) report examining Biden's 2023 decision not to move the headquarters. That report found that then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recommended that SPACECOM go to Redstone Arsenal, near Huntsville, Alabama, because the move would save $462 million. However, then SPACECOM Commander, Gen. James Dickinson, wanted to keep the permanent HQ in Colorado due to Air Force findings that the Alabama option would not be operational for three to four years. Dickinson and SPACECOM officers also worried that more than half of the highly trained civilian staff in Colorado would quit rather than move to Alabama for the job. "USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than (the Air Force) predicated and that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command's readiness," the report states. However, Rogers argued, Colorado has had manpower issues as well. "The reason why Secretary Kendall didn't concur with them and recommended that it still be moved was that over 300 of the current jobs in Colorado Springs couldn't be filled," he said. "They had to contract them out." Crank argued that the cost findings in the IG report were flawed because it assumed Colorado would have to build a new HQ building, which he says it would not. "We don't need to build a new headquarters building," he said. "There is one there. If you say you need to build a new headquarters building, then I think it tips it in the favor of Alabama from a cost perspective by about $400 million." "But if you don't do that, and we don't need it, already have a headquarters building there, it saves the taxpayers $2 billion," he said. The IG report said it "could not determine" why Kendall never made a formal announcement decision for the SPACECOM transition after the September 2022 completion of an environmental impact assessment of the planned headquarters site in Alabama. Without a formal announcement, SPACECOM was able to declare full operational capability in Colorado, the report said. Rogers said the IG report proved the Biden administration's move was political, and predicted in April that Trump would formally name Alabama as the home of the Space Force within the month. However, Crank, along with GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd, wrote to Trump and warned him that the move would affect readiness. "Moving the command would disrupt these established capabilities and partnerships, further diminishing our preparedness to face evolving threats," they wrote in a letter dated April 8. However, Rogers seems confident the move will go forward. "There's absolutely no national security implications for moving it," he said. "It needs to be in a permanent headquarters, and it needs to be inside the fence. All that's going to happen in Huntsville."Original article source: Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
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. 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. 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 as well is, is really important." Rogers brushed off the complaints from his Colorado counterparts and argued Alabama had won fair and square. "They're just doing their job, you know, they don't want to see it leave," said Rogers. But, "they lost two nationwide competitions. It's not me saying it should be in Huntsville." He argued that right now, the command is spread out across four to five different buildings, some of which are outside the base perimeter. "None of them were built for classified operations," he said. "They just kind of make it work." Rogers pointed to a recent Defense Department inspector general (IG) report examining Biden's 2023 decision not to move the headquarters. That report found that then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recommended that SPACECOM go to Redstone Arsenal, near Huntsville, Alabama, because the move would save $462 million. However, then SPACECOM Commander, Gen. James Dickinson, wanted to keep the permanent HQ in Colorado due to Air Force findings that the Alabama option would not be operational for three to four years. Dickinson and SPACECOM officers also worried that more than half of the highly trained civilian staff in Colorado would quit rather than move to Alabama for the job. "USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than (the Air Force) predicated and that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command's readiness," the report states. However, Rogers argued, Colorado has had manpower issues as well. "The reason why Secretary Kendall didn't concur with them and recommended that it still be moved was that over 300 of the current jobs in Colorado Springs couldn't be filled," he said. "They had to contract them out." Crank argued that the cost findings in the IG report were flawed because it assumed Colorado would have to build a new HQ building, which he says it would not. "We don't need to build a new headquarters building," he said. "There is one there. If you say you need to build a new headquarters building, then I think it tips it in the favor of Alabama from a cost perspective by about $400 million." "But if you don't do that, and we don't need it, already have a headquarters building there, it saves the taxpayers $2 billion," he said. The IG report said it "could not determine" why Kendall never made a formal announcement decision for the SPACECOM transition after the September 2022 completion of an environmental impact assessment of the planned headquarters site in Alabama. Without a formal announcement, SPACECOM was able to declare full operational capability in Colorado, the report said. Rogers said the IG report proved the Biden administration's move was political, and predicted in April that Trump would formally name Alabama as the home of the Space Force within the month. However, Crank, along with GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd, wrote to Trump and warned him that the move would affect readiness. "Moving the command would disrupt these established capabilities and partnerships, further diminishing our preparedness to face evolving threats," they wrote in a letter dated April 8. However, Rogers seems confident the move will go forward. "There's absolutely no national security implications for moving it," he said. "It needs to be in a permanent headquarters, and it needs to be inside the fence. All that's going to happen in Huntsville."
