Alabama delegation meets with Commander of Space Command

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Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal [Photo Credit: Ellen Hudson | USAG Redstone]

On Tuesday, the Alabama Congressional Delegation held a meeting today with General James H. Dickinson, Commander of the U.S. Space Command.

“General Dickinson just confirmed to us that the headquarters of U.S. Space Command belongs on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama,” said U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama). “This is no surprise, because it’s what the facts clearly support. The White House must keep politics out of this. It’s past time for them to do what’s best for our national security.”

News media reports confirm that a U.S. Government Accountability Office report dated May 2022 stated, “Air Force analysis identified Redstone Arsenal as the highest scoring location in the Evaluation Phase, the highest ranked location in the Selection Phase, and the location with the most advantages in the decision matrix. Air Force officials, including the then Secretary of the Air Force, stated that the decision to identify Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location stemmed from Air Force analysis showing it was the strongest candidate location.”

“The fact is, Air Force already made the correct decision well over two years ago,” said Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03). That decision was affirmed by the GAO and the DoD Inspector General over a year ago. This decision was based on multiple factors, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, was the clear winner in the Evaluation and Selection phase. I am deeply concerned that the continued delays in making this move final are politically motivated and damaging to our national security.”

“[T]he January 2021 selection of Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location for U.S. Space Command headquarters was consistent with the Air Force’s analysis,” the GAO added. “Multiple senior officials we interviewed stated that they felt the process was unbiased, including the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy; the former Secretary of the Air Force; the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the U.S. Space Command Combatant Commander; and the U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations.”

Finally, per the GAO, “[T]he Air Force identified the ability to disperse combatant commands geographically as supporting its decision, and Air Force officials told us that they considered risk related to colocating U.S. Space Command and U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base as a military judgment issue. The Air Force considered dispersing combatant commands in different geographic areas as a strategic advantage, and a way to avoid placing two combatant commands at risk from the same threat.”

The Biden Administration, meanwhile, has delayed moving Space Command to Redstone Arsenal. This decision was made three years ago. Redstone was chosen over Nebraska, which finished number 2 in the evaluation process. San Antonio, Texas, was third. Colorado finished fourth, but according to an NBC News report, the White House is poised to overrule the Air Force on this purely for political reasons. Colorado voted for Joe Biden, while Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas did not.

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