Alabama Legislators react to Space Command decision, denouncing it as a ‘political move’
On Monday, President Joe Biden formalized what most political observers already knew when he announced that he was going to block Space Command from coming to Alabama.
To Alabama legislators, the decision seems to have been made for political reasons, as the President needs Colorado’s electoral college votes to have any realistic chance of surviving next year’s presidential election. No Democrat has carried the state of Alabama in a presidential race since 1976, and Biden has no chance of being competitive in conservative Alabama. Biden said that U.S. officials believe that keeping the command in Colorado Springs will avoid a disruption in readiness that moving would cause.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness.
A number of Alabama leaders noted their displeasure at Biden’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs was fourth behind Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Nebraska, and San Antonio, Texas. Space Command was formed in 2019. The command was temporarily based in Colorado, and Air Force and Space Force leaders initially recommended it stay there. In the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump decided it should be based in Huntsville.
Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) said, “Not only is it outrageous, but also unfortunate for the American people to hear that the Secretary of the Air Force allowed politics to circumvent his, and the Department of Defense’s, own basing selection process that determined Huntsville, Alabama as the preferred location of SPACECOM.”
“Over and over again, the legitimate process proved that Alabama was the right choice for SPACECOM HQ,” said Rep. Aderholt. “Unfortunately for this nation this decision is the latest chapter in the long saga of the Biden Administration’s failing national security record, and I know the majority of the American people feel the same way. As a nation, we must do better.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) said, “The Administration’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado bows to the whims of politics over merit. Huntsville won this selection process fair and square based on the merits. In three separate reports, Huntsville reigned victorious, whereas Colorado did not come in second or even third. This reversal is as shameful as it is disappointing.”
“I expected more from the Biden Administration,” said Sewell. “A decision of this magnitude should not be about red states versus blue states, but rather what is in the best interest of our national security. To be clear, the Alabama Congressional Delegation stands united in opposition to this decision.”
Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL06) said, “This decision made by the Biden Administration is unacceptable,” said Rep. Palmer. “When making decisions, the administration has continuously put politics over what is best for the nation. The Department of Defense determined that Huntsville, Alabama, was the best location for Space Command long ago. Instead, they are picking Colorado, the fifth best option by their very own report. Not only is this decision another broken promise and the result of political gamesmanship, but it jeopardizes our nation’s national security and sets a dangerous precedent for future decisions made solely based on political preference.”
“Over two and a half years ago, the Air Force chose Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville for the headquarters of Space Command over 59 other cities on the basis of 21 different criteria,” explained U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). “As soon as Joe Biden took office, he paused movement on that decision and inserted politics into what had been a fair and objective competition—not because the facts had changed, but because the political party of the sitting President had changed.”
“The Biden Administration has been talking a lot about readiness over the past few months, but no Administration has done more to damage our military readiness in my lifetime,” Sen. Tuberville said. “They’ve politicized our military, destroyed our recruiting, misused our tax dollars for their extremist social agenda, and now they are putting Space Command headquarters in a location that didn’t even make the top three. They are doing this at a time when space is only becoming more important for national security.”
Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) said, “Huntsville, Alabama was chosen to be the headquarters of U.S. Space Command because it was the strongest location and investigations by the DoD IG and GAO have upheld this decision. Yet, the Biden administration decided to make Colorado Springs, Colorado, which came in fifth in the Selection Phase, the location of the headquarters for U.S. Space Command. It’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision.”
Both Houses of Congress had just passed their versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with the Senate only finishing their version late on Thursday. Congress then left for its August recess.
“It is also shameful that the Administration waited until Congress had gone into recess and already passed next year’s defense budget before announcing this decision,” Tuberville said. “The top three choices for Space Command headquarters were all in red states—Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas. Colorado didn’t even come close. This decision to bypass the three most qualified sites looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security.”
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) said, “President Biden has irresponsibly decided to yank a military decision out of the Air Force’s hands in the name of partisan politics. Huntsville finished first in both the Air Force’s Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase, leaving no doubt that the Air Force’s decision to choose Redstone as the preferred basing location was correct purely on the merits. That decision should have remained in the Air Force’s purview. Instead, President Biden is now trying to hand the Gold Medal to the fifth-place finisher. The President’s blatant prioritization of partisan political considerations at the expense of our national security, military modernization, and force readiness is a disservice and a dishonor to his oath of office as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief. Locating the permanent Space Command Headquarters on Redstone Arsenal undoubtedly remains in the best national security interest of the United States. President Biden should allow the Air Force to proceed with doing its job. Alabama’s world-class aerospace and defense workforce, capabilities, and synergies stand ready to fulfill the mission and strengthen our national security long into the future.”
“It is shameful that the Biden Administration is ignoring what is best for our nation’s security and is instead using their woke agenda to make this decision,” said Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL05). “To this point, the administration has refused to answer questions brought forth by the House Armed Services Committee’s investigation of their actions in this process. If they think this will go away… they are wrong. I will ensure they have to explain their actions and answer our questions on the record.”
“In the Department of Defense’s own merit-based process, Huntsville, Alabama was chosen as the #1 location for SPACECOM and Colorado was #5,” said Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02). “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the Biden Administration has chosen to prioritize partisan politics over national security by rejecting the objectively best location based on the DoD’s own criteria simply because it isn’t a blue state.”
“It is clear the Biden administration cares more about advancing their far-left agenda than the security of our nation,” said Congressman Jerry Carl (R-AL01) on Twitter. “We will not give up this fight because Space Command belongs in Huntsville.”
Congressman Rogers is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
“The Biden administration’s shameful delay to finalize the permanent basing decision for U.S. Space Command warranted the opening of a Congressional investigation,” Rep. Rogers said. “I will continue this investigation to see if they intentionally misled the Armed Services Committee on their deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of the selection process. I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable for their egregious political meddling in our national security.”
“This fight is not over,” Rep. Palmer said. “Space Command belongs in the location best suited to host it, the Rocket City.”
“There remain serious questions as to whether the Air Force illegally used taxpayer dollars to upgrade facilities in Colorado Springs,” Tuberville said. “I hope that House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers will continue his investigation into that matter.”
“This fight is far from over,” Rogers concluded.
“This is absolutely not over,” Tuberville said. “I will continue to fight this as long as it takes to bring Space Command where it would be best served—Huntsville, Alabama.”
Legislators in Colorado are applauding the decision.
“For two and a half years, we’ve known any objective analysis of this basing decision would reach the same conclusion we did, that Peterson Space Force Base is the best home for Space Command,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said in a statement. “Most importantly, this decision firmly rejects the idea that politics — instead of national security — should determine basing decisions central to our national security.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) said the decision “restores integrity to the Pentagon’s basing process and sends a strong message that national security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military decisions.”