Huntsville’s nickname, Rocket City, is thanks
largely to Wernher von Braun and his team of
fellow German-born rocketeers who settled
there in the 1950s. The city has long been home
to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s
Marshall Space Flight Center.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, an appointee
of President Donald Trump, announced the
decision days before leaving office.
Colorado officials lambasted the move, saying
military officials had recommended to Trump that
Space Command remain at the Peterson Air Force
Base in Colorado Springs, but they were “overruled
for politically motivated reasons.” They did not say
what those alleged political reasons were. Trump
won Alabama in the November election and
President-elect Joe Biden won Colorado.
“This move threatens jobs, could cause serious
economic damage, and upend the lives of
hundreds of military and civilian families that
were counting on U.S Space Command staying at
home in Colorado Springs as well as harm military
readiness,” Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis
and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said in a statement.
In a letter, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado
urged Biden to reverse the decision upon
taking office, saying moving Space Command
from Colorado would “damage America’s
national security” at a time when Russia and
China are actively competing with the U.S.’s
space capabilities.
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama said Barrett told
him the decision was based “solely on merit and
the interests of national security.” Brooks suggested
politics will be at play if the site gets moved back
to Colorado under the new administration.