On August 29, 2019, President Trump activated the U.S. Space Command as the Pentagonís newest unified combatant command.In an article by Space News, Oct. 23, 2019, by Sandra Erwin, ìThe United States first stood up Space Command in 1985 but merged it with U.S. Strategic Command in 2002 in a post-9/11 realignment of military resources. While the Aug. 29 ceremony at the White House was technically a re-activation of the command, officials point that this U.S. SPACECOM is different from its predecessor; in the 17 years since the original U.S. SPACECOM was shuttered, the military has grown more dependent on satellites for every aspect of military operations.îAccording to the article, U.S. Air Force Gen. John Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command, has been authorized to build a 300-person (approximately) staff at U.S. SPACECOMís temporary headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base. SPACECOM will be supported by two field organizations: a Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; and a Joint Task Force Space Defense at Schriever Air Force Base.Chief Ann Stefanek, media operations for the Department of the Air Force, said, ìThe Department of the Air Force, on behalf of the Office of Secretary of Defense, selected six candidate locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters. The six locations include Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Patrick AFB, Florida; Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Redstone Army Airfield, Alabama; and Port San Antonio, Texas.î She said the department has evaluated each site and will conduct virtual and on-site visits to determine the best fit to host the Space Command Headquarters. ìThis assessment will be based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense,î Stefanek said.ìThe Department of the Air Force anticipates selecting the preferred location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters in early 2021.î Meanwhile, Peterson Air Force Base will remain the ìprovisionalî location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters.ìThere is no question that Colorado Springs is the ideal location to serve as the permanent home of U.S. Space Command,î stated John Suthers, mayor of the Springs, in an email to the NFH. ìWith our strong and secure existing military infrastructure, our abundant cybersecurity resources, extensive intelligence and military talent; and, as a community that has long supported the U.S. Armed Forces, there is simply no other city that offers the same cost savings,†community support or operational readiness. I look forward to the announcement in 2021, and strongly believe our city is prepared and ready to welcome U.S. Space Command.îIn an email, Rep. Doug Lamborn stated, ìI am, of course, very happy Peterson Air Force Base has been selected as a finalist candidate to be the permanent home of U.S. Space Command. Ö†Colorado Springs is Americaís center of excellence for national security space, and has cultivated space warfighters and the supporting industrial base for decades. In fact, the space-related industry and academic ecosystem throughout the Front Range is a unique asset to the United States, and puts the state of Colorado head-and-shoulders above any other candidate.†The entire purpose of creating a Space Force and Space Command was to go faster, be more agile, and do more with less in order to reorient our military towards near-peer competitors who would challenge our space dominance. With the complex and expensive infrastructure and skilled personnel already in place, Colorado is the only logical choice for the permanent home for U.S. Space Command.î
