“It’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a statement. Tuberville is already engaged in a pitched battle with the Pentagon over its policy granting leave to troops who must travel to seek an abortion, and is holding up the nominations of more than 270 senior officers until the policy is rescinded. Tommy Tuberville, have been outspoken in urging the Defense Department to make the move. The move quickly prompted outrage on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers from Alabama, including Republican Sen. “The president found that risk unacceptable, especially given the challenges we may face in the space domain during this critical time period,” according to the official.īiden made the decision after consulting with Austin and reviewing the advice of his military leaders, the official said. The command is set to achieve “full operational capability” this month, the official said.Ī move to Alabama, by contrast, would have forced the command to transition to a new headquarters in the mid-2020s, and the new site would not have been open until the early to mid-2030s, the official said. Keeping the headquarters at Colorado Springs “maintains operational readiness and ensures no disruption to its mission or to its personnel,” according to the official. The most significant factor Biden weighed in making the decision was the impact such a move would have on the military’s ability to confront the changing threat from space, according to a senior administration official, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations. Members of the Colorado delegation claimed Trump decided to move the command to Alabama in order to reward a red state, while Alabama lawmakers said Biden was playing politics in holding up the decision. The Air Force was supposed to make a final determination by December, but a delay fueled months of political feuding. Upon taking office, the Biden administration launched its own review of the decision. Trump later credited himself for “single-handedly” putting the command in the red state. The Air Force initially recommended the command stay in Colorado, but later selected Alabama after a high-level meeting at the White House in January 2021, during the final days of the Trump administration. The news, which was first reported by The Associated Press, brings to an end months of speculation about whether Biden would reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to move the command. James Dickinson all support Biden’s decision, Ryder added. “It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests.”Īustin, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period,” Ryder said in a statement. Pat Ryder said Biden notified the Department of Defense on Monday that he had made the decision, after speaking with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and weighing the input of senior military leaders.
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