What’s behind Donald Trump’s plan to move US Space Command to Alabama?

United States President Donald Trump announced connected Tuesday that the office of US Space Command, the bureau helium launched during his archetypal word arsenic president to “defend US interests successful space”, volition beryllium relocated to Alabama.

Here is what is happening and wherefore it matters.

What is US Space Command?

US Space Command – besides known arsenic “SpaceCom” – was launched during Trump’s archetypal word arsenic president successful 2019 and has its existent office astatine Peterson Air Force Base successful Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is simply a abstracted assemblage from the US subject Space Force.

Space Command handles US subject operations extracurricular the Earth’s atmosphere. These missions mostly entail safeguarding US satellites from outer threats.

Congressional records amusement that astir 1,700 unit enactment astatine Space Command. It employs associated forces from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force to transportation retired its missions. Space Command’s website says it is liable for “protecting and defending the abstraction domain”.

The US Space Command’s commandant reports to the caput of defence – presently Pete Hegseth – who reports to the president.

Why is Trump moving Space Command to Alabama?

Trump claims helium ever planned to marque the determination to the US Army’s Redstone Arsenal successful Huntsville, Alabama. On Tuesday, helium announced: “The US Space Command office volition determination to the beauteous locale of a spot called Huntsville, Alabama, everlastingly to beryllium known from this constituent guardant arsenic Rocket City,” utilizing a nickname commonly utilized for Huntsville due to the fact that of its aboriginal relation successful the US abstraction programme.

“We initially selected Huntsville for the SpaceCom headquarters. Yet those plans were wrongfully obstructed by the Biden administration,” Trump said, flanked by Republican members of Alabama’s legislature delegation astatine the Oval Office.

The US president added that Huntsville won the contention to go the office due to the fact that “they fought harder for it than anybody else.”

During his Tuesday announcement, Trump slipped successful a critique of Colorado’s mail-in voting system. Trump has often claimed that mail-in voting has been utilized to rig statesmanlike elections against him.

“The occupation I person with Colorado, 1 of the large problems, they bash mail-in voting. They went to each mail-in voting, truthful they person automatically crooked elections,” Trump said. Residents tin ballot by message oregon successful idiosyncratic successful Colorado, but the votes are chiefly formed by mail.

While Colorado is simply a Democratic state, Republican states specified arsenic Nevada and Utah besides chiefly usage mail-in voting.

Alabama is besides a reddish authorities wherever Trump enjoys support, but helium said that did not origin into his decision. “We emotion Alabama. I lone won it by astir 47 points. I don’t deliberation that influenced my decision, though,” Trump told reporters and lawmakers astatine the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump, left, watches with Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper arsenic the emblem for U.S. abstraction Command is unfurled arsenic Trump announces the constitution of US Space Command successful the Rose Garden of the White House successful Washington connected August 29, 2019 [File: Carolyn Kaster/AP]

So wherefore was Space Command successful Colorado?

In 2021, the Air Force chose Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, arsenic the preferred determination for Space Command.

It was selected aft tract visits crossed six states, assessing elements specified arsenic infrastructure capacity, assemblage enactment and outgo considerations for the Department of Defense. However, an biology appraisal was pending. After this appraisal was completed successful 2022, the Government Accountability Office, which is the nonpartisan probe limb of Congress, released a study saying determination were “significant shortfalls” successful the Air Force’s enactment process for the headquarters.

In 2023, then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, announced that Colorado Springs would beryllium the imperishable office of the Space Command. Colorado had been serving arsenic the impermanent office for the command.

On Tuesday, Trump said his archetypal plans to determination the bid to Huntsville were “wrongfully obstructed by the Biden administration”.

What are the arguments for Huntsville vs Colorado Springs?

In 2023, the Biden medication decided that keeping the bureau successful Colorado would debar a disruption successful readiness.

Moving the office would acceptable backmost advancement successful US abstraction missions, which are competing with China’s subject abstraction rise, the Biden medication argued.

Backing up that assessment, section quality outlets reported that Colorado lawmakers had claimed it would instrumentality until 2030 to implicit the operation of the caller office successful Alabama, which would effect successful a agelong transition.

However, representatives from Alabama, including Dale Strong, the Republican typical for Alabama’s 5th legislature district, disputed this. They claimed that operation successful Alabama would lone instrumentality betwixt 14 and 18 months, Colorado Public Radio reported.

Another statement for keeping the bid successful Colorado is that Colorado Springs is location to the US Air Force Academy, and the academy present graduates Space Force guardians, who are subject and civilian unit moving with the US Space Force. Colorado besides has 3 Space Force bases.

On the different hand, the archetypal rockets for the US abstraction programme were built successful Huntsville. The metropolis is location to NASA’s largest centre, the Marshall Space Flight Center, formed successful 1960. Huntsville is besides location to immoderate of the US’s earliest abstraction missiles, specified arsenic the Saturn V rocket, and is the tract of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command.

In April this year, the Pentagon inspector wide released a study acknowledging the “risks to readiness inherent to moving the HQ from its provisional location” to Huntsville. However, helium said it would prevention costs of astir $426m due to the fact that of the little unit and operation costs successful Huntsville.

How does authorities origin into this fight?

Biden’s 2023 determination besides came erstwhile Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville was rallying against the Pentagon’s termination argumentation by holding up much than 400 subject nominations and promotions.

Tuberville was peculiarly opposed to the Pentagon allowing reimbursement for question expenses erstwhile a work subordinate needed to spell retired of authorities to get an termination oregon different forms of reproductive healthcare. The Senator lifted the blockade connected subject promotions successful December 2023.

US officials from the Biden medication anonymously told The Associated Press quality bureau successful 2023 that Biden’s determination to support the bid successful Colorado was not affected by the termination issue, however.

What person the reactions been to the latest announcement?

After Trump’s announcement connected Tuesday, Hegseth lauded his decision, saying: “We are mode up successful space, but this volition guarantee that we enactment LEAPS and BOUNDS up due to the fact that that is the astir important domain. Whoever controls the entity volition power the aboriginal of warfare.”

All of Colorado’s legislature leaders, including 4 Republicans, released a associated statement, saying: “Moving Space Command sets our abstraction defence apparatus backmost years, wastes billions of payer dollars, and hands the vantage to the converging threats of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.”

Alabama leaders, connected the different hand, celebrated the announcement. In an sentiment portion for 1819 News, a section quality outlet successful Alabama, Tuberville wrote: “Thankfully, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are putting our nation’s information archetypal and moving SPACECOM to the spot wherever it volition beryllium astir effectual and supply the astir worth to taxpayers.

“The authorities of Alabama is astir to amusement the state the champion among us,” Republican legislator from Alabama Katie Britt said, according to section outlets.