Biden, reversing Trump, won’t move military’s Space Command to Alabama | CPT PPP Coverage

Critics had said that the Trump administration’s decision was rushed as he left office and intended to reward a deeply conservative state by moving an influential military headquarters out of one that leans Democratic. The command is expected to bring 1,400 jobs and nearly $1 billion in annual economic spending, officials in Colorado have said previously.

Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the decision was made “following a deliberate evaluation” and after consultation with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Austin, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Army Gen. James H. Dickinson, who leads Space Command, all support the decision, Ryder said.

“Locating Headquarters U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period,” Ryder said.

A senior defense official and a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, said that Dickinson recommended keeping Space Command in Colorado, while Kendall recommended allowing the move to Huntsville to go forward. Austin presented both viewpoints to Biden, the officials said. The senior defense official declined to say whether the defense secretary favored one recommendation over the other.

The decision, first reported by the Associated Press, was immediately cheered by lawmakers from Colorado.

“Today’s decision restores integrity to the Pentagon’s basing process and sends a strong message that national security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military decisions,” said Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.), in a joint statement with Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). “Colorado is the rightful home for U.S. Space Command, and our state will continue to lead America in space for years to come.”

Hickenlooper added that Biden’s decision “firmly rejects the idea that politics — instead of national security — should determine basing decisions central to our national security.”

Biden’s decision is certain to rankled Alabama’s congressional delegation. It comes amid a worsening feud between the administration and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has placed a long-term hold on the promotion of hundreds of generals and admirals in an unrelated dispute over a Pentagon policy that reimburses certain expenses incurred by U.S. service members who travel out of state to receive an abortion.

The policy took effect last year, after a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that for nearly 50 years protected the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Tuberville blasted the decision in a statement, saying Biden “inserted politics into what had been a fair and objective competition — not because the facts had changed, but because the political party of the sitting President had changed.”

The decision to bypass Alabama and other conservative states “looks like blatant patronage politics, and it sets a dangerous precedent that military bases are now to be used as rewards for political supporters rather than for our security,” Tuberville said.

“This is absolutely not over,” he said.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.