(COLORADO SPRINGS) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, Sept. 2, that the U.S. Space Command headquarters will move from Colorado Springs to “Rocket City,” Huntsville, Alabama, prompting reactions from Governor Jared Polis, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, and other state leaders.
Mayor Mobolade expressed his concern and disappointment in the President’s decision, especially as the U.S. Space Command completed operational capacity relatively recently, in an official email.
This move threatens operational continuity at a time when space-related threats are only increasing. U.S. Space Command reached full operational capability in 2023 because of the unmatched talent here in Colorado Springs, much of which will not relocate. Losing that expertise in relocation risks mission success and wastes billions in taxpayer dollars.
– Mayor Yemi Mobolade
Governor Polis expressed a similar sentiment, stressing that this move will be both a needless expense and a security risk.
Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military families. 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.
– Governor Jared Polis
The Colorado State Delegation, including Senator John Hickenlooper, released a joint statement regarding the decision. Their official email includes, “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.”
Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC President & CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer also released a statement, which read in part, “While we are disappointed with this decision, given Colorado Springs’ strong case for national security and responsible use of taxpayer dollars, we also respect the President’s decision. The enemy is not another U.S. state; it is foreign adversaries. That’s where we must focus our efforts, knowing there will be many other opportunities for mission growth in Colorado Springs.”
According to Governor Polis’ statement, Colorado is home to the largest Aerospace industry per capita in the country. On top of over $31 billion in federal contracts, the state is also home to NORAD, the National Space Defense Center, Space Domain Awareness Lab, and the majority of U.S. Space Force operational units.
FOX21 News will continue to update this article as more reaction comes in.
