WASHINGTON — The years-long political tug-of-war over the permanent home of U.S. Space Command headquarters has flared up again, with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) claiming the Trump administration is poised to reverse a Biden-era decision and relocate the command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama.
Rogers seized on a newly released Department of Defense Inspector General report that examined the convoluted history of the basing decision. According to Rogers, the April 11 report revealed that despite years of deliberation, the Secretary of the Air Force never issued a formal directive to relocate Space Command to Alabama, even though Air Force analysis had identified Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location.
The Air Force’s own analysis showed Huntsville would save taxpayers $420 million, Rogers noted in an April 14 statement, referencing cost estimates from the military’s evaluation process.
U.S. Space Command has operated from Colorado Springs since its establishment in 2019, initially as a temporary arrangement while a permanent headquarters location was determined.
The command is responsible for military operations in space and protecting U.S. space assets from adversaries including China and Russia.
Colorado’s Republican House delegation fired back today, arguing that any relocation would significantly disrupt the command’s operations during a critical time for space security.
“We are in a different spot than we were a few years ago. Space Command’s rightful home is in Colorado, where, since 2023, it has been fully operational and an invaluable asset to America’s military,” said Reps. Jeff Crank, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Hurd and Gabe Evans in a joint statement April 15.
The Colorado lawmakers also highlighted concerns that relocating the command could trigger an exodus of civilian personnel, potentially hampering the command’s effectiveness “during a time when our foreign adversaries pose a real risk to our national security.”
The dispute traces back to January 2021, when in the final days of the first Trump administration, the Air Force announced Huntsville as the preferred location for Space Command’s permanent headquarters. The Biden administration later reversed course in 2023, deciding to keep the command in Colorado Springs.
Rogers has repeatedly criticized this reversal, arguing it lacked transparency and ignored the potential cost savings of the Alabama location. During an April 8 podcast appearance hosted by Auburn University’s McCrary Institute, Rogers expressed confidence that the Trump administration would soon announce the command’s relocation to Huntsville.
The Alabama congressman has maintained that the original selection process correctly identified Huntsville as the optimal location and expects President Trump to reverse the Biden administration’s decision.
Rep. Crank recently led Colorado’s Republican House delegation in a letter to President Trump advocating for maintaining the command’s current location in Colorado Springs, underscoring the extent of the state’s effort to retain the prestigious military headquarters.
