Report: Space Command decision was political; Colorado lawmaker urges Biden to reverse it

Did politics rather than military need drive the Trump administration’s hurried decision to make Huntsville, Alabama, the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command over Offutt Air Force Base and four other sites across the country?

That’s a complaint being made loudly in Colorado Springs, whose Peterson Air Force Base was widely considered the front-runner to retain the military command that was based there from 1985 to 2002 and again after SpaceCom was reestablished in 2019. And it’s being whispered in Nebraska, where the U.S. Strategic Command led the military’s space mission during the intervening years from 2002 to 2019.

Citing unnamed sources, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Thursday that President Donald Trump overturned Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett’s recommendation of Peterson Air Force Base as a political favor to supporters in deep-red Alabama.

Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal has long been the center of the Army’s missile program, as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In a press release, the Air Force cited several of the city’s selling points, including what it described as “a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs.”

But backers of the Peterson and Offutt bids also noted that it is in the district of Rep. Mo Brooks, one of Trump’s most ardent backers. He was one of six Alabama lawmakers who objected last week to the certification of the Electoral College results in two states where Trump has made unsupported claims that he defeated President-elect Joe Biden.

Alabama site selected over Offutt for Space Command HQ, but Nebraska boosters haven’t given up yet

Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican who represents Colorado Springs and was previously a Trump loyalist, called the decision “horrendous” and published a letter he sent to Biden asking him to overturn the decision.

“This decision was not based on what is best for America’s national interests,” Lamborn said. “For the good our of nation, I will fight this proposed move.”

Colorado Springs is the center of the military’s satellite program and is the headquarters of the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The Gazette said boosters led by the city’s Chamber of Commerce offered the Air Force a $130 million package of incentives that included land, tax breaks, a new golf course and a major investment in space education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Luring SpaceCom: Nebraska sweetens pot with $107 million in public, private aid

Offutt’s leaders touted the low cost of living, high-quality schools near Offutt and a new space education and research program headquartered at the University of Nebraska. They offered $107 million in mostly cash incentives from public and private sources.

Members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation declined to comment on the Colorado allegations, but said they, too, intend to ask Biden to take another look.

Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a Republican who represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate, said he didn’t have personal knowledge about the decision, but wouldn’t be surprised if politics trumped military necessity.

“That’s the way everything has operated the past four years, rewarding his friends and punishing his enemies,” Hagel said of Trump. “I would expect the Biden administration would want to review.”

<&rdpStrong>Photos: Offutt Air Force Base through the years</&rdpStrong>

This article originally ran on omaha.com.