In a move that reverses the previous administration’s decision, US President Donald Trump has ordered the relocation of the US Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, also known as “Rocket City”, due to its deep legacy in space and missile programs.
President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on 2 September, cited Alabama’s overwhelming political support and criticised Colorado’s mail-in voting system, labelling it “automatically crooked,” as influencing the shift.
The relocation marks the undoing of a 2023 Biden-era decision that confirmed Colorado Springs as the permanent home of the command, despite an earlier Air Force recommendation and inspector-general findings that had favoured Huntsville for its cost advantages and infrastructure
President Trump’s announcement has sparked fierce backlash from Colorado’s political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, who warned the move would degrade the nation’s space defence capabilities, waste hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds, and cede strategic advantage to rivals including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The relocation is expected to span three to four years and cost in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Supporters of the decision in Alabama point to Huntsville’s established aerospace ecosystem, anchored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, and a strong network of defence contractors such as Lockheed Martin and L3Harris.
Republican lawmakers, including Senator Tommy Tuberville and Representative Mike Rogers, both from Alabama, hailed the relocation as a strategic victory and claim the move would save taxpayers approximately US$480 million (AU$736.4 million).
The US Space Command, reactivated in 2019 under Trump’s first administration, oversees military operations in space, including satellite security and missile warnings. Its role has become increasingly critical amid growing threats in the space domain.
As the heated partisan debate continues, the relocation underscores how deeply political calculations have become embedded in military basing decisions, particularly in the burgeoning arena of space warfare and defence strategy.