COLORADO SPRINGS - Today, President Trump announced new White House plans to move the U.S. Space Command to Alabama, despite its impact on Colorado’s national security and military readiness and a significant cost to taxpayers. Governor Polis, Lt. Governor Primavera, Colorado’s Congressional delegation, and local leaders have worked tirelessly as a bipartisan coalition over the last five years to advocate for Colorado Springs as the rightful home of the U.S. Space Command. In 2023, President Biden made the decision to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs to ensure our national security in the space domain and because U.S. Space Command was about to achieve Full Operational Capability at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, which it did in December.
“This is a deeply disappointing decision for our state and nation. This is the wrong decision, diminishing military readiness and national security and eroding the trust Americans have in our country and its leaders to do the right thing. Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military families. 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. Coloradans and Americans should all be provided full transparency and the full details of this poor decision. We hope other vital military units and missions are retained and expanded in Colorado Springs. Colorado remains an ideal location for future missions, including Golden Dome,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
“Space is critical to every component of American life, from our economy to our national security. This ill-advised decision by the White House to move Space Command from its rightful home in Colorado Springs will significantly harm our military readiness and national security and uproot military families. Our unparalleled Aerospace & Defense ecosystem has been vital to Space Command achieving Full Operational Capability and executing the mission. This decision is deeply disappointing,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera.
Colorado is home to the largest private Aerospace industry per capita in the country. Over the past five years, Aerospace employment has grown by 24%. Last year alone, Colorado added over 3,500 new Aerospace & Defense jobs. Colorado also secured more than $31 billion in Federal contracts. We are also home to key national security missions and units, including U.S. Northern Command/North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Operations Command, National Space Defense Center, Space Domain Awareness Lab, and the majority of USSF operational units.