Space Force Guardians assigned to Space Operations Command (SpOC) wear squadron patches with red borders while attending a meeting at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 20, 2025. While they are in the Commit phase of the Space Force Generation Cycle (SPAFORGEN), SpOC Guardians are assigned to a Combat Squadron and wear the red Delta of U.S. Space Forces. (Space Force photo by Dave Grim) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Image: DoD
By: Lindsey Toomer, Colorado NewslinePresident Donald Trump announced Tuesday his intention to move U.S. Space Command headquarters out of Colorado to Alabama.
Space Command has been at full operational capacity at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs since December 2023, after former President Joe Biden announced in July that year it would stay in Colorado.
Colorado officials previously expressed concern that Trump’s decision during his first presidential term to move Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama, was politically motivated, as he waited until after the 2020 election to announce the move. Alabama went for Trump, a Republican, in that election, and Colorado went for Biden, a Democrat.
Colorado officials from both parties have advocated Space Command staying in Colorado. Peterson housed a previous version of Space Command from 1985 to 2002. The Air Force subsequently oversaw military space operations from the site.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat who is running for governor in 2026, said in a statement Tuesday his office has been preparing for legal action over a Space Command relocation if Trump “made such an unlawful decision.” Weiser said military families in El Paso County have relied on the decision to keep Space Command headquarters in Colorado.
“The Trump administration should not play political games with our nation’s military readiness and military families,” Weiser said in a statement. “Moving Space Command Headquarters to Alabama is not only wrong for our national defense, but it’s harmful to hundreds of Space Command personnel and their families.”
Moving Space Command Headquarters to Alabama is not only wrong for our national defense, but it’s harmful to hundreds of Space Command personnel and their families.
– Phil Weiser, attorney general of Colorado
In a joint statement, all members of Colorado’s federal delegation said the move will “directly harm our state and the nation” and that they are “united in fighting to reverse this decision.”
“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 delegation said in the statement. “Being prepared for any threats should be the nation’s top priority; a crucial part of that is keeping in place what is already fully operational. Moving Space Command would not result in any additional operational capabilities than what we have up and running in Colorado Springs now.”
Civilian businesses and workers who work with Space Command in Colorado Springs “will not simply move with the Command at the military’s whim,” the statement said, adding that many of them will leave the workforce and create a disruption “that will take our national defense systems decades to recreate.”
Operational readiness
A U.S. Department of Defense inspector general report determined it would take years to construct secure facilities in Alabama after a final basing decision, and said Space Command leadership favored keeping its headquarters in Colorado, as it made more sense for operational readiness and civilian workforce retention.
The Colorado delegation’s statement said the inspector general’s office has repeatedly reported that moving Space Command would “impede our military’s operational capability for years.”
Colorado’s federal delegation includes U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats, as well as Democratic U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette of Denver, Joe Neguse of Lafayette, Jason Crow of Centennial and Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood, and Republican U.S. Reps. Jeff Hurd of Grand Junction, Lauren Boebert of Windsor, Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs and Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said the relocation is “deeply disappointing decision for our state and nation,” and he said it will diminish military readiness and national security and erode “the trust Americans have in our country and its leaders to do the right thing.” He said members of the public should be provided “full transparency and the full details of this poor decision.”
“Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military families,” Polis said in a statement. “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.”
The Alabama view
Alabama officials, including Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, applauded Trump’s decision, saying it is in the best interest of national security to relocate Space Command to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville and honor the Air Force’s original decision.
“I’m deeply grateful to President Trump and Secretary (Pete) Hegseth for their commitment to keep politics out of this basing decision and allow the Air Force to proceed with doing its job,” Britt said in a statement, referring to the Defense secretary. “Alabama’s world-class aerospace and defense workforce, capabilities, and synergies stand ready to fulfill the mission and strengthen our national security long into the future.”
The Colorado Space Coalition, a statewide aerospace arm of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, said in a statement with other organizations that the move is unnecessary and risks disruptions, but the coalition said the decision will not diminish “Colorado’s central role in advancing our nation’s space and defense missions.”
“The Colorado Space Coalition will continue to work with our industry partners across the state, counterparts in Colorado Springs, and our congressional delegation to ensure Colorado’s military and civilian space families continue to provide key contributions to our nation’s national defense,” the coalition said.
Story originally published by Colorado Newsline
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