Air Force basing more Space Force missions in Colorado amid pushback from Alabama lawmakers

The U.S. Air Force announced the permanent locations for more Space Command units Wednesday in Colorado, in a move likely to fan the flames of an ongoing battle with Alabama lawmakers over Spacecom’s headquarters.

Four of the permanent locations would be based in Colorado Springs, which is housing the temporary headquarters. Near the end of his administration, former President Trump selected Huntsville, Alabama to house the permanent headquarters.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), launched an investigation last week into the relocation delay of the Spacecom, amid reports the Biden administration is reconsidering the move to Alabama after strict abortion laws were passed in the state.

“These apparently sweeping unilateral changes to policies and posture seem to have been made with zero civilian oversight at the Department of Defense,” Rogers wrote.

The decision to base more units in Colorado Springs gives more weight to those fears, though Rogers said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told him he wasn’t aware of any changes to the plan. The White House and Pentagon reportedly have said the Spacecom basing and abortion law are not directly linked. 

This week’s announcement also coincides with President Biden’s trip to Colorado Springs, where he will deliver the commencement address Thursday at the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy. 

Alabama lawmakers from both parties are planning to introduce a provision in a key annual appropriations bill to block all Spacecom development until an official announcement of its relocation.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) wrote a letter in March to Biden saying his state has the infrastructure needed to continue housing the permanent location and that relocating could “threaten our national security and military readiness.”

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said in a statement to the Associated Press he would use Biden’s Thursday visit to push for the U.S. Space Command’s permanent HQ in his state.