“Partisan politics should not play a role in
national security. Time will tell what happens
in a red state when the federal government
is totally dominated by Democrats,” the
Republican congressman said.
The Secretary of the Air Force said Redstone
Arsenal in Huntsville had been selected for the
new headquarters. The city was chosen after site
visits to six states that compared factors such as
infrastructure capacity, community support and
costs to the Department of Defense. Redstone
Arsenal offered a facility to support the
headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent
facility is being constructed.
The Department of the Air Force said the
decision to move to Huntsville will become
final pending the results from the required
environmental impact analysis. That is expected
in the spring of 2023. The headquarters will
remain in Colorado until then.
Other finalists for the site were Kirtland Air
Force Base in New Mexico, Offutt Air Force
Base in Nebraska, Peterson Air Force Base in
Colorado, Port San Antonio in Texas and Patrick
Air Force Base in Brevard County, Florida. Those
site will remain alternative locations until the
final announcement.
Trump in 2019 authorized the creation of the
U.S. Space Command to preserve American
dominance on what he called “the ultimate
high ground.”
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the city is
honored to have been selected.
Ivey in a tweet thanked U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby,
former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones and local officials
for advocating for the site to be in Alabama.