(UnitedVoice.com) – On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump stepped into the history books when he signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020 into law, thus establishing the US Space Force. It was the first new service branch created since Congress reorganized the US Army Air Forces as the US Air Force (USAF) nearly two years to the day after the conclusion of World War II.
Organized under the Department of the Air Force, the nation’s sixth military service branch was temporarily headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base (previously a USAF installation) in Colorado Springs in 2020. However, late in his presidency, Trump pushed to transfer the operation command from Colorado to Alabama.
Trump didn’t complete that goal before leaving office in January 2021, and President Joe Biden recently rejected that plan amid complaints from several GOP lawmakers.
Space Force Announces Directive From President Biden Regarding Its Headquarters
On July 31, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder issued a statement announcing that Biden notified Defense Department officials that he selected Colorado Springs for the permanent home of Space Command Headquarters.
The statement noted that the president reached his decision after conducting a “thorough and deliberate evaluation process” and consulting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III. The notice explained that keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs would ensure “peak [operational] readiness… during a critical period” and would allow the command to “effectively plan … and execute military spacepower … [worldwide] to deter aggression and defend national interests.”
Gen. Ryder’s statement also noted that Sec. Austin, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III, and Space Command head Gen. James Dickinson supported the president’s decision.
Republican Lawmakers Push Back on Biden’s Decision
As one might expect, Republican lawmakers quickly pushed back against the substance of the announcement. For example, Sen. Tommy Tuberville issued a statement blasting Biden’s move to keep the Space Command in Colorado Springs instead of respecting a previous decision to transfer it to Huntsville, Alabama.
Tuberville accused the president of inserting politics into what should have been a “fair and objective competition.” He also accused the Biden administration of damaging military readiness by misallocating tax dollars to achieve its “extremist social agenda,” destroying recruiting levels, and turning the military into a political weapon.
Continuing, Tuberville accused the Biden Administration of deliberately waiting until Congress passed the 2024 defense budget and adjourned for its summer recess before announcing the president’s decision. He also noted that the top three choices for a permanent location for the headquarters were the red states of Alabama, Texas, and Nebraska.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) echoed that sentiment by retweeting a statement from Republican committee members. He also vowed that the fight for the permanent location of the Space Forces headquarters was “far from over.”
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