Relocating from Colorado to Alabama questioned by congressional panel.
Members of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee are debating the planned relocation of the U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama.
Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado has led the effort to stop the move of the headquarters from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. He argued that the current location was more convenient for access to other military space-related activity and suggested the decision to relocate it was politically motivated.
General James Dickinson said that the change of the physical location of the headquarters would not negatively impact the military combatant commands working together. “There’s synergy by being in the same area but I think there’s equally synergy in being able to do that in a physically distant manner,” the general stated. ”We’ve had great success over the last 20 months with regard to our relationships with the other combatant commands.”
Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama made the case for his state, saying, “We’ve got a plethora of space related military activities in the Redstone Arsenal. We’re also the home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, which is the birthplace of America’s space program.”
General Dickinson, Admiral Charles Richard, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and Melissa Dalton, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities all testified before the panel that, to their knowledge, there was no political influence involved in the decision to relocate the headquarters.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- That the House Armed Services Committee would have wisdom on the recommendations they make.
- For the U.S. military leadership as they inform Congress on operational needs.
- For the personnel of the U.S. Space Command as they seek to protect the nation in space.
Sources: Space News, Military.com
