Plans are moving forward for Space Command’s big move from Colorado to Alabama, and last week it was announced that about 200 individuals will be relocated to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville by the end of this year.
“I’m happy at the progress that we’re making, and that progress will continue over the next couple of years as we work to get a significant portion of our staff there, even while the permanent headquarters is being built,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, who leads U.S. Space Command, told senators during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in March.
Although approximately 1,400 to 1,700 U.S. Space Command personnel are expected to relocate over five years, the addition of 200 people will represent a significant increase from the small 20-person office at Redstone Arsenal.
“By the end of this year, we are targeting that number to be closer to 200 people that will be working from Redstone, from our headquarters, of course. That will be paced with the delivery of interim facilities that are appropriate to the security classification level we need, and that we have all of the appropriate IT networks,” Whiting told the lawmakers in written testimony.
Efforts are underway to ensure that many civilian employees will make the move.
“We are offering relocation incentives for our workforce in Colorado to consider moving to Alabama,” Whiting added. “We also are offering retention incentives, because I need my workforce to stay with me in Colorado until their function is ready to move.”
It is Really Happening, Right?
U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) is one of the U.S. military’s 11 unified commands, and its move has not been without considerable controversy.
It was announced during the first Trump administration that SPACECOM would move from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, but that plan was canceled during the Biden administration, and it was then announced that Space Command (SPACECOM) would remain at Peterson Space Force Base (SFB).
Last fall, the Trump administration again designated the Redstone Arsenal as the permanent HQ. A phased move is now underway and is expected to be completed by 2031.
However, some Colorado lawmakers had vowed to continue fighting the move, and the Centennial State’s Attorney General’s Office has been engaged in a back-and-forth with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado Springs) is among those working to minimize the impact the move will have on the local community. He noted that the United States Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, is seeing rapid growth. It is also distinct from the Space Command.
“In the last 18 months alone, Space Force jobs in the region have increased by more than 1,600 positions,” Crank told the Denver Gazette. “I don’t expect that growth to slow down any time soon.”
As reported last year, many aerospace and defense-related businesses are likely to stay put even after Space Command’s relocation is completed.
New ‘Top-Secret’ SCIF at Redstone
As part of SPACECOM’s growth at Redstone Arsenal, a new top-secret SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) for up to 80 people is being built.
It is just part of the planned expansion in Huntsville.
“Our new Command and Control Facility at Redstone Arsenal will be designed to fully meet our security, mission, and information technology requirements,” Whiting added in his written statements. “It will be built leveraging the new Military Construction (MILCON) authorities in the most recent NDAA. From the outset, we are prioritizing resilient, secure network architecture and infrastructure capable of supporting global command and control operations.”
