Leroy N. Soetoro
2023-08-09 20:57:31 UTC
https://apnews.com/article/space-command-biden-colorado-alabama-
382b12b57733848fd1d083227aefa0bf
WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space
Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the
Trump administration to move it to Alabama. The choice ended months of
thorny deliberations, but an Alabama lawmaker vowed to fight on.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that Biden was
convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued
that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness.
Dickinsons view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who
studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville,
Alabama, was the right move.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of
Bidens rationale for the decision.
In announcing the plans, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary,
said the decision was based on an objective and deliberate process
informed by data and analysis. He said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
supported the presidents decision.
Reaction to the decision came fast and was sharply divided, as Colorado
lawmakers praised it and Alabama officials slammed it as a political
maneuver. This fight is far from over, warned Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.,
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Biden, said the U.S. officials, believes that keeping the command in
Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness that the move would
cause, particularly as the U.S. races to compete with China in space. And
they said Biden firmly believes that maintaining stability will help the
military be better able to respond in space over the next decade. Those
factors, they said, outweighed what the president believed would be any
minor benefits of moving to Alabama.
Bidens decision enraged Alabama lawmakers and is sure to fuel accusations
that abortion politics played a role in the choice. The location debate
has become entangled in the ongoing battle between Alabama Republican Sen.
Tommy Tuberville and the Defense Department over the move to provide
travel for troops seeking reproductive health care. Tuberville opposed the
policy is blocking hundreds of military promotions in protest.
The U.S. officials said the abortion issue had no effect at all on Bidens
decision. And they said the president fully expected there would be
different views on the matter within the Defense Department.
Tuberville, in a statement, said the top three choices for Space Command
headquarters were all in Republican-leaning states Alabama, Nebraska and
Texas and bypassing them looks like blatant patronage politics.
Formally created in August 2019, the command was temporarily based in
Colorado, and Air Force and Space Force leaders initially recommended it
stay there. In the final days of his presidency Donald Trump decided it
should be based in Huntsville.
The change triggered a number of reviews.
Proponents of keeping the command in Colorado have argued that moving it
to Huntsville and creating a new headquarters would set back its progress
at a time it needs to move quickly to be positioned to match Chinas
military space rise. And Colorado Springs is also home to the Air Force
Academy, which now graduates Space Force guardians, and more than 24
military space missions, including three Space Force bases.
Officials also argued that any new headquarters in Alabama would not be
completed until sometime after 2030, forcing a lengthy transition.
Huntsville, however, scored higher than Colorado Springs in a Government
Accountability Office assessment of potential locations and has long been
a home to some of earliest missiles used in the nations space programs,
including the Saturn V rocket. It is home to the Armys Space and Missile
Defense Command.
According to officials, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who ordered his
own review of the matter, leaned toward Huntsville, while Dickinson was
staunchly in favor of staying put. The officials said Austin presented
both options to Biden.
In a statement Monday, Kendall said the service will work to quickly
implement Bidens decision, adding that keeping the command in Colorado
will avoid any disruption to its operational capability.
The decision was hailed as a victory in Colorado lawmakers and condemned
in Alabama.
For two and a half years weve known any objective analysis of this
basing decision would reach the same conclusion we did, that Peterson
Space Force Base is the best home for Space Command, Sen. John
Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said in a statement. Most importantly, this
decision firmly rejects the idea that politics instead of national
security should determine basing decisions central to our national
security.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said the decision restores integrity to the
Pentagons basing process and sends a strong message that national
security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military
decisions.
Rogers, meanwhile, vowed that his committee will continue an investigation
into the matter, calling it a deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of
the selection process. He added, Its clear that far-left politics, not
national security, was the driving force behind this decision.
Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt echoed his sentiment, saying it was
irresponsible for Biden to yank a military decision out of the Air
Forces hands in the name of partisan politics. She said an Air Force
evaluation of the potential locations ranked Huntsville first, adding that
the decision should have remained in the Air Forces purview.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
382b12b57733848fd1d083227aefa0bf
WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space
Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the
Trump administration to move it to Alabama. The choice ended months of
thorny deliberations, but an Alabama lawmaker vowed to fight on.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that Biden was
convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued
that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness.
Dickinsons view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who
studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville,
Alabama, was the right move.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of
Bidens rationale for the decision.
In announcing the plans, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary,
said the decision was based on an objective and deliberate process
informed by data and analysis. He said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
supported the presidents decision.
Reaction to the decision came fast and was sharply divided, as Colorado
lawmakers praised it and Alabama officials slammed it as a political
maneuver. This fight is far from over, warned Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.,
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Biden, said the U.S. officials, believes that keeping the command in
Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness that the move would
cause, particularly as the U.S. races to compete with China in space. And
they said Biden firmly believes that maintaining stability will help the
military be better able to respond in space over the next decade. Those
factors, they said, outweighed what the president believed would be any
minor benefits of moving to Alabama.
Bidens decision enraged Alabama lawmakers and is sure to fuel accusations
that abortion politics played a role in the choice. The location debate
has become entangled in the ongoing battle between Alabama Republican Sen.
Tommy Tuberville and the Defense Department over the move to provide
travel for troops seeking reproductive health care. Tuberville opposed the
policy is blocking hundreds of military promotions in protest.
The U.S. officials said the abortion issue had no effect at all on Bidens
decision. And they said the president fully expected there would be
different views on the matter within the Defense Department.
Tuberville, in a statement, said the top three choices for Space Command
headquarters were all in Republican-leaning states Alabama, Nebraska and
Texas and bypassing them looks like blatant patronage politics.
Formally created in August 2019, the command was temporarily based in
Colorado, and Air Force and Space Force leaders initially recommended it
stay there. In the final days of his presidency Donald Trump decided it
should be based in Huntsville.
The change triggered a number of reviews.
Proponents of keeping the command in Colorado have argued that moving it
to Huntsville and creating a new headquarters would set back its progress
at a time it needs to move quickly to be positioned to match Chinas
military space rise. And Colorado Springs is also home to the Air Force
Academy, which now graduates Space Force guardians, and more than 24
military space missions, including three Space Force bases.
Officials also argued that any new headquarters in Alabama would not be
completed until sometime after 2030, forcing a lengthy transition.
Huntsville, however, scored higher than Colorado Springs in a Government
Accountability Office assessment of potential locations and has long been
a home to some of earliest missiles used in the nations space programs,
including the Saturn V rocket. It is home to the Armys Space and Missile
Defense Command.
According to officials, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who ordered his
own review of the matter, leaned toward Huntsville, while Dickinson was
staunchly in favor of staying put. The officials said Austin presented
both options to Biden.
In a statement Monday, Kendall said the service will work to quickly
implement Bidens decision, adding that keeping the command in Colorado
will avoid any disruption to its operational capability.
The decision was hailed as a victory in Colorado lawmakers and condemned
in Alabama.
For two and a half years weve known any objective analysis of this
basing decision would reach the same conclusion we did, that Peterson
Space Force Base is the best home for Space Command, Sen. John
Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said in a statement. Most importantly, this
decision firmly rejects the idea that politics instead of national
security should determine basing decisions central to our national
security.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said the decision restores integrity to the
Pentagons basing process and sends a strong message that national
security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military
decisions.
Rogers, meanwhile, vowed that his committee will continue an investigation
into the matter, calling it a deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of
the selection process. He added, Its clear that far-left politics, not
national security, was the driving force behind this decision.
Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt echoed his sentiment, saying it was
irresponsible for Biden to yank a military decision out of the Air
Forces hands in the name of partisan politics. She said an Air Force
evaluation of the potential locations ranked Huntsville first, adding that
the decision should have remained in the Air Forces purview.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.