FILE – President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One after arriving at Huntsville International airport, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. President Donald Trump’s administration says U.S. Space Command will be based in Alabama, reversing a Biden-era decision to keep it in Colorado. The announcement was made Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) 
FILE – A presentation of the U.S. Space Command colors, Sept. 9, 2019, during a ceremony to recognize the establishment of the United States Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP, File) 
President Donald Trump speaks about the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington, as Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) 
President Donald Trump speaks during an event about the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington, as Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) 
FILE – Incoming Chief of Space Operations Gen. James Dickinson, left, and outgoing Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond shake hands Aug. 20, 2020, during a change of command ceremony for the U.S. Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, according to senior U.S. officials. The officials said Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP, File)
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that U.S. Space Command will be located in Alabama, reversing a Biden-era decision to keep it at its current headquarters in Colorado and prompting sharp criticism from state officials.
“This is the wrong decision, diminishing military readiness and national security and eroding the trust Americans have in our country and its leaders to do the right thing,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military families.”
The entire Colorado congressional contingent, including all Republicans and Democrats, pushed back at the decision.
“Today’s decision to move U.S Space Command’s headquarters out of Colorado and to Alabama will directly harm our state and the nation,” all eight House members and two Colorado senators said in a joint statement. “We are united in fighting to reverse this decision. Bottom line — moving Space Command headquarters weakens our national security at the worst possible time.”
The long-expected decision from Trump caps a four-year tug of war between two states and opposing administrations about where to locate U.S. Space Command, an intense fight because the headquarters would be a significant boon to the local economy. Alabama and Colorado have long battled to claim Space Command, with elected officials from both states asserting their state is the better location.
“The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City,” said Trump, flanked by Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, from the Oval Office on Tuesday. “We had a lot of competition for this and Alabama’s getting it.”
Trump said Huntsville won the race for the Space Command headquarters, in part, because “they fought harder for it than anybody else.”
The announcement infuriated both Democratic and Republican officials in Colorado, which has a booming aerospace industry. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, called the relocation of Space Command to Alabama “deeply disappointing” and demanded an explanation as to how the decision was made.
Trump on Tuesday said his initial plans to locate the headquarters in Huntsville were “wrongfully obstructed by the Biden administration.” But he also said the fact that Colorado uses mail-in voting “played a big factor also” in moving the headquarters away from Colorado Springs.
“The problem with Colorado is that they have a very corrupt voting system,” Trump said.
COLORADO COMMENT
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis: “This is a deeply disappointing decision for our state and nation. Colorado Springs is home to a proud military community and a thriving aerospace ecosystem, and significant national security missions and units, all of which are critical to U.S. Space Command. Coloradans and Americans should all be provided full transparency and the full details of this poor decision. We hope other vital military units and missions are retained and expanded in Colorado Springs. Colorado remains an ideal location for future missions, including Golden Dome.”
Democratic Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera: “Space is critical to every component of American life, from our economy to our national security. This ill-advised decision by the White House to move Space Command from its rightful home in Colorado Springs will significantly harm our military readiness and national security and uproot military families. Our unparalleled Aerospace & Defense ecosystem has been vital to Space Command achieving Full Operational Capability and executing the mission. This decision is deeply disappointing.”
U.S. Democratic Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette-D, Joe Neguse-D, Jeff Hurd-R, Lauren Boebert-R, Jeff Crank-R, Jason Crow-D, Brittany Pettersen-D, and Gabe Evans-R: “Today’s decision to move U.S Space Command’s headquarters out of Colorado and to Alabama will directly harm our state and the nation. We are united in fighting to reverse this decision. Bottom line — moving Space Command headquarters weakens our national security at the worst possible time.
“Moving Space Command sets our space defense apparatus back years, wastes billions of taxpayer dollars, and hands the advantage to the converging threats of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Department of Defense Inspector General’s office has reported multiple times that moving the Command will impede our military’s operational capability for years.
“Space Command’s long-term presence in Colorado Springs has also created a large number of civilian businesses and workers on which the Command now relies. Those people will not simply move with the Command at the military’s whim. Many of them will leave the industry altogether, creating a disruption in the workforce that will take our national defense systems decades to recreate.
“Being prepared for any threats should be the nation’s top priority; a crucial part of that is keeping in place what is already fully operational. Moving Space Command would not result in any additional operational capabilities than what we have up and running in Colorado Springs now. Colorado Springs is the appropriate home for U.S. Space Command, and we will take the necessary action to keep it there.”
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama, said Huntsville is the “perfect place” for the headquarters and suggested it be named after Trump. And Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who stood next to Trump during the announcement, thanked Trump for “restoring Space Command to its rightful home.”
“The Biden administration chose to make this political,” she said. “What we want to do is put the safety and security of Americans first. We want to make sure our American war fighter is put first.”
The Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday that the president would announce the move at the White House after a Pentagon website set up to livestream the remarks described the event hours in advance as a “U.S. Space Command HQ Announcement.”
U.S. Space Command said in a statement on X after the announcement that it “stands ready to carry out the direction of the President following today’s announcement of Huntsville, Alabama as the command’s permanent headquarters location.” Its functions include conducting operations like enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches.
Huntsville, Alabama, nicknamed Rocket City, has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville, which drew its nickname because of its role in building the first rockets for the U.S. space program.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said about 1,400 Space Command jobs will transition to Redstone Arsenal over the next five years.
“This decision is not about what’s best for Huntsville – it’s about being mission-focused,” said Battle. “The decision to locate U.S. Space Command at Redstone ensures our nation is prepared to meet growing challenges in space. Huntsville is ready with our experienced workforce, resilient infrastructure and deep commitment to national defense.”
The saga stretches back to 2021, when the Air Force identified Army Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the preferred location for the new U.S. Space Command. The city was picked after site visits to six states that compared factors such as infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Defense Department.
Then-President Joe Biden in 2023 announced Space Command would be permanently located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which had been serving as its temporary headquarters. Biden’s Democratic administration said that keeping the command in Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness.
Trump on Tuesday said his initial plans to locate the headquarters in Huntsville were “wrongfully obstructed by the Biden administration.” But he also said the fact that Colorado uses mail-in voting “played a big factor also” in moving the headquarters away from Colorado Springs.
“The problem with Colorado is that they have a very corrupt voting system,” Trump said.
A review by the Defense Department inspector general was inconclusive and could not determine why Colorado was chosen over Alabama. Trump, a Republican who enjoys deep support in Alabama, had long been expected to move Space Command back to Alabama.
Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama.
So? Colorado has a corrupt voting system.
Not a reason to make the big, expen$ive mistake of moving the U.S.pace Command anyvhere.
Should remain in Colorado where alreadyvell established.
One thing that nobody ever mentions is the quality of life and the cost of living in Colorado. Military members do not make a lot of money and the move to Alabama will likely offer better living conditions there. Colorado has seen diminished civil rights and high costs make is less desirable to live here. When selfish or partisan bloviating is taken out of the equation, it becomes clear that the people who have to work at Space Command will be better off in Alabama.
Look on the bright side, guys–now you can vote against those defense bills with a clean conscience, rather than complain about how much it costs out of one side of your mouth, while trying to protect your military assets in the area with the other, the way Pat Schroeder used to do when Lowry was still active.
This was expected for precisely why Trump is doing it. He believes (or says he believes) that Colorado’s voting system is rigged. Basically, he didn’t win Colorado, so it has to be rigged. He’s so narcissistic that he believes he should have won every state. I don’t think he actually believes he won Colorado. He thinks he can change the perceived reality that his true believers hold and if he can twist more minds, he wins. If not, he punishes those who don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Either way, he believes he holds all of the cards. Given the feckless Washington GOP, right now he’s right!
Your comment is based on an absurd premise. Trump never expected to win Colorado and a Republican has not won national or statewide office in over a decade with very few exceptions.
I agree it seemed bogus to blame the move on Colorado’s mail-in ballot system. He should have said it was due to Colorado being a “sanctuary state.” That would have made more sense. No point patronizing a state that refuses to enforce U.S. immigration laws. Hopefully there will be more consequences to come.
The Dept of the Air Force decided in Trump’s first term that Huntsville was a better choice primarily due to housing costs and education quality. Biden blocked the move when AL restricted abortions. Trump is now making the move. I think that it is a shame.
It might have helped CO’s case if they hadn’t taken Trump off the ballot, turned into a sanctuary state, funded abortions up to birth, funded sex transitions, sued the Trump administration over 30 times and blocked deportations.
Polis should have read, The Art of the Deal. He has failed miserably.