Is Huntsville the destination for Space Command headquarters now that Trump is back in office?
Now that President-elect Trump is expected to return to the White House, that is the key question.
Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville was chosen as the top option for the headquarters three years ago by a leadership study of the U.S. Air Force.
However, General James Dickinson, the chief of Space Command, contended that moving could jeopardise military readiness, thus last year President Biden decided to keep the U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado.
Alabama officials told WAAY 31 on Wednesday that they are hopeful President-elect Donald Trump would bring Space Command to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville when he enters office.
“I’m going to take a risk and say that I think Space Command is coming to Huntsville, Madison, and northern Alabama,” stated Congressman Robert Aderholt of Alabama.
Congressman Aderholt also stated that he anticipates the present head of Space Command, General Dickinson, will resign along with the Biden administration, which would allow the headquarters to relocate to Alabama.
“I think we’ll wait for the new Secretary of the Air Force to come in, and I think it’ll be somebody who wants to do, obviously, what President Trump wants.”
Congressman Aderholt, however, says that it may happen sooner rather than later. “We were looking at several months. Here it is, the first part of November; the new administration won’t start until January.
Of course, you have to give them a little time to get their feet on the ground, so I think by spring we should start to see some movement on it,” he said.
WAAY 31 asked Senator Katie Britt and Representative Dale Strong for their responses, and both provided statements.
“There is no question that the permanent Space Command Headquarters should be located at Redstone Arsenal,” said Senator Katie Britt. Huntsville had the greatest advantages in the decision matrix and came out on top in the Air Force’s evaluation and selection processes.
President Trump will put aside President Biden’s partisan political concerns and reinstate the Air Force’s merit-based choice to select Redstone Arsenal as the permanent home for Space Command HQ.
I anticipate that Space Command will return to its rightful home in Alabama.
“President Trump made the decision to establish Huntsville as the permanent home of Space Command based solely on merit and what is best for national security,” Representative Dale Strong continued. After a thorough selection process, Huntsville won every stage by a significant margin.
I am sure that President Trump will continue to do what is best for national security and fulfill his initial commitment to establish Space Command to North Alabama.”
According to Congressman Aderholt, Huntsville’s chances appear favourable given the current halt on building in Colorado.
“We’ve been able to put things on hold in Washington; we were able to and still continue to put things on hold, so they’re not continuing to build infrastructure in Colorado to argue that all this development has already been built up there,” said Congressman Aderholt.
