President Donald Trump has announced that U.S. Space Command headquarters will relocate from its current site in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama. The decision ends years of back-and-forth between two administrations and competing state delegations over the command’s permanent home.
Space Command was reestablished in 2018 under Trump after having been folded into U.S. Strategic Command in 2002. Its mission is to coordinate U.S. military operations in space, including satellite communications, navigation, and missile warning systems. Since its return, the command has been headquartered on a temporary basis at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Trump originally selected Huntsville as the headquarters site during his first term. In 2023, President Joe Biden reversed that decision, citing readiness concerns raised by then-commander Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that a move could delay operational capability by several years. Biden’s decision prompted Alabama lawmakers to press for a Pentagon watchdog review. The Defense Department inspector general later reported that Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville had been the Air Force’s preferred location, though building equivalent facilities could take three to four years.
On Tuesday, Trump appeared in the Oval Office with Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and members of Alabama’s congressional delegation to make the announcement. He praised Huntsville as “Rocket City,” a nickname reflecting its long association with NASA and missile development. Trump said the move will bring thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to the area.
“Seven years in the making,” he said. “The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known as Rocket City.”
Colorado’s leaders reacted swiftly. The state’s entire congressional delegation — two senators and eight House members from both parties — issued a joint statement pledging to fight the decision. They argued that relocating the command would waste taxpayer dollars, disrupt operations, and weaken U.S. national security. Governor Jared Polis called the move “deeply disappointing” and warned that it would erode readiness at a time of rising threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Supporters in Alabama hailed the announcement. Senator Katie Britt thanked Trump for “restoring Space Command to its rightful home,” while Senator Tommy Tuberville said Huntsville was the “perfect place” and suggested naming the headquarters after Trump. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said roughly 1,400 jobs would transfer to Redstone Arsenal over the next five years, stressing that the decision was mission-driven and not just about local benefit.
Trump also tied the relocation to his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense project, saying Space Command in Huntsville would help oversee its development. Defense Secretary Hegseth backed the decision, saying, “Whoever controls the skies will control the future of warfare.”
The Air Force previously evaluated six potential sites and concluded in 2021 that Redstone Arsenal offered the best mix of infrastructure, community support, and cost efficiency. Huntsville already hosts the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, reinforcing its reputation as a hub for aerospace and defense.
The decision ensures that Space Command, one of the newest U.S. combatant commands, will have its permanent home in Alabama. However, with Colorado leaders pledging legal and legislative challenges, the debate over where America directs its military space operations may not yet be over.
Green = Colorado
Blue = Alabama
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