In July, President Joe Biden made the decision to override military planners and the nonpartisan process that decided that national security would be better served by relocating Space Command headquarters (SPACECOM) from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Red Stone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. On Thursday, Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL05) sent an email to constituents saying that this fight is not over.
There will be a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Space Command Commander General James Dickinson, and Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman will have to testify before the Committee on the Space Command basing decision.
“I’m excited to tell you that the next steps related to Space Command are starting to materialize,” Rep. Strong said. “I am fighting the Biden Administration’s corruption and reckless spending from all angles, and President Biden’s decision to award Space Command to the blue state of Colorado is no different.”
“Following the July announcement from the White House that the President decided to keep Space Command in Colorado, I sent Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) a letter requesting the committee bring Secretary Kendall and General Dickinson to testify “at the earliest opportunity” regarding the basing decision,” Strong continued. “I am writing today to let you know that Chairman Rogers has agreed with my request, and announced a hearing in the House. I wasn’t kidding when I said this is far from over. Our next step is to bring these military leaders before the Committee to answer questions under oath.”
“The findings of the Defense Department’s robust basing process, and two separate and independent investigations supporting the Department’s initial selection of Redstone, were completely ignored when the fifth best location in Colorado was chosen to host the Space Command headquarters,” Strong stated. “The way the Biden administration and Department of Defense leadership has handled the Space Command situation is something that should worry every American. Inserting pure politics into the Defense Department’s basing process does untold damage to our national security, threatens the credibility of the DOD, and sets a dangerous precedent for all future military decisions. I’ve certainly got a lot of questions I’m ready to ask, and I hope you will tune in.”
“In May, I opened a Congressional investigation into the Biden administration’s shameful delay to finalize the permanent basing decision for U.S. Space Command,” Rep. Rogers said. “When the Secretary of the Air Force finally made a decision, he upheld his predecessors’ decision to base U.S. Space Command in Huntsville, Alabama. President Biden then usurped the Air Force Secretary’s authority and named Colorado Springs the permanent basing site for U.S. Space Command in order to improve his political standing for next year’s re-election.”
“I have invited Secretary Kendall, General Dickinson, and General Saltzman to testify to the House Armed Services Committee in a public hearing,” Rogers explained. “We will get answers on President Biden’s political manipulation of the selection process.”
Strong is serving in his first term representing Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District. He previously served the people of Madison County as head of the County Commission.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
