Boots Down to Dixie: Colorado Loses Space Command

According to Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey, the US Air Force is planning to announce Huntsville, Alabama as the location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters. Space Command is currently temporarily housed at Petersen Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that moving the post “would negatively impact the mission which Colorado Springs has been flawlessly executing, ensuring our national security in the space domain.”

Space Command, while recreated in 2019, is distinct from Space Force, which is a new distinct branch of the US Military. Similar to NORTHCOM (Northern Command responsible primarily for the defense of the homeland) and CENTCOM (Central Command, responsible for Middle East operations), SPACECOM is responsible for operations in space (above 100 KM from sea level), and oversees components from the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force (specifically Space Force).

Colorado politicians like Colorado Springs’ Doug Lamborn issued a statement pushing for Colorado Springs to remain the location for SPACECOM, and has blasted the decision to move it to Alabama as “horrendous,” political, and damaging to national security.

Perhaps the US Military is concerned with Colorado’s leftward political shift creating an environment detrimental to military operations, although Jared Polis has been generally supportive of the military in the state. Like virtually everything else in 2021, the issue is tainted by politics.