Former President Donald Trump claims he is the one who decided Space Command should move to Alabama from Colorado Springs, according to al.com.
“Space force - I sent to Alabama,” Trump said via a telephone interview today on an Alabama-based syndicated radio show. Despite saying Space Force, he was referring to Space Command. “I hope you know that. (They) said they were looking for a home and I single-handedly said ‘let’s go to Alabama. They wanted it. I said let’s go to Alabama. I love Alabama.”
Friday, Governor Jared Polis and Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera released a statement in response to the former President's statements about the relocation of U.S. Space Command:
“Colorado is the natural home for Space Command. These callous comments fly in the face of Coloradans, military families, and those who have worked to cultivate our aerospace ecosystem that is suited to guarantee the operational success of U.S. Space Command and deliver the best value to taxpayers. Keeping U.S. Space Command in Colorado means protecting our national security but it's clear that the former President - now through his own admission - made this misguided decision for political or personal purposes. Unfortunately, this poor decision could cost taxpayers billions of dollars, hurt military readiness, and would be fiscally irresponsible. We urge the federal government to truly restore integrity to the process.”
The El Paso Board of County Commissioners also issued a statement regarding recent developments on the decision to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs:
"El Paso County will continue to work with our local stakeholders and Congress to reverse the decision to move U.S. Space Command and support the country’s strategic defense needs. On its merits, its obvious Space Command needs to stay in Colorado Springs. It makes no sense to spend billions of taxpayer dollars and gain no mission enhancement by moving Space Command from its current location, the home to many critical space missions. We look forward to a final decision from the Administration and Congress to keep Space Command where it is in Colorado."
U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement after former President Donald Trump said in an interview that he “single-handedly” made the decision to move the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama:
“Former President Trump has admitted what we already knew: that he made a strictly political decision to move Space Command and completely disregarded both critical national security and budgetary considerations. This is exactly why we’ve called for a review and reconsideration of the decision. We look forward to the Air Force doing just that -- looking at what is best for our national security -- and making sure Space Command is located where it belongs, in Colorado Springs.”
There are currently two investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Defense Inspector General into the propriety of the decision and the basing process.
The Air Force announced in January it was relocating Space Command to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama over finalists including:
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Bellevue, Nebraska
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
- San Antonio, Texas
In January, a number of prominent Colorado lawmakers requested President Joe Biden conduct a thorough review of the Trump administration's decision to move the home of Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
Air Force documents show Alabama bested the closest competitor, Colorado, in 11 of 21 categories used to select the best site.
The push to make Colorado Springs the permanent home of U.S. Space Command started in early 2020 with Peterson Air Force Base being named the provisional headquarters in mid-May 2020 for at least six years.
The hope of Space Command making Colorado Springs its permanent home was bringing many jobs to the area and boosting the economy.
According to al.com, Trump is set to be in Cullman, Alabama on Saturday for a rally.
Related:
Alabama announced as permanent US Space Command headquarters
Rob Quirk goes 'One-on-One' with the commander of U.S. Space Command
Pentagon team tours Peterson AFB as decision on US Space Command location looms
"Our market can handle it"; More on the economic impact of Space command
