Trump announces that Space Command is moving from Colorado to Alabama
[September 03, 2025]
By SEUNG MIN KIM and KIM CHANDLER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that U.S.
Space Command will be located in Alabama, reversing a Biden-era decision
to keep it at its temporary headquarters in Colorado.
The long-expected decision from Trump caps a four-year tug of war
between two states and opposing administrations about where to locate
U.S. Space Command, an intense fight because the headquarters would be a
significant boon to the local economy. Alabama and Colorado have long
battled to claim Space Command, with elected officials from both states
asserting their state is the better location.
“The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale
of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this
point forward as Rocket City,” said Trump, repeating a nickname the city
has used for decades already because of its early role in NASA and the
U.S. space program. “We had a lot of competition for this and Alabama’s
getting it,” added the president, flanked in the Oval Office by
Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation.
Trump said Huntsville won the race for the Space Command headquarters,
in part, because “they fought harder for it than anybody else.”
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama, said
Huntsville is the “perfect place” for the headquarters and suggested it
be named after Trump. And Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who stood
next to Trump during the announcement, thanked Trump for “restoring
Space Command to its rightful home.”
“The Biden administration chose to make this political,” she said. “What
we want to do is put the safety and security of Americans first. We want
to make sure our American war fighter is put first.”
The Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday that the president would
announce the move at the White House after a Pentagon website set up to
livestream the remarks described the event hours in advance as a “U.S.
Space Command HQ Announcement.”
U.S. Space Command said in a statement on X after the announcement that
it “stands ready to carry out the direction of the President following
today’s announcement of Huntsville, Alabama, as the command’s permanent
headquarters location.” Its functions include conducting operations like
enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and
providing warning of missile launches.
Huntsville, Alabama, has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal
and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The Army’s Space and Missile
Defense Command is also located in Huntsville, which drew its nickname
because of its role in building the first rockets for the U.S. space
program.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said about 1,400 Space Command jobs will
transition to Redstone Arsenal over the next five years.
“This decision is not about what’s best for Huntsville – it’s about
being mission-focused,” said Battle. “The decision to locate U.S. Space
Command at Redstone ensures our nation is prepared to meet growing
challenges in space. Huntsville is ready with our experienced workforce,
resilient infrastructure and deep commitment to national defense.”
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President Donald Trump speaks during an event about the relocation
of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama in the
Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in
Washington, as Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., listens. (AP Photo/Mark
Schiefelbein)
The saga stretches back to 2021, when the Air Force identified Army
Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the preferred location for the new
U.S. Space Command. The city was picked after site visits to six
states that compared factors such as infrastructure capacity,
community support and costs to the Defense Department.
Then-President Joe Biden in 2023 announced Space Command would be
permanently located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which had been
serving as its temporary headquarters. Biden's Democratic
administration said that keeping the command in Colorado Springs
would avoid a disruption in readiness.
The announcement infuriated both Democratic and Republican officials
in Colorado, which has a booming aerospace industry. Colorado Gov.
Jared Polis, a Democrat, called the relocation of Space Command to
Alabama “deeply disappointing” and demanded an explanation as to how
the decision was made.
“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,” Polis said.
“Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and
readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military
families.”
Trump on Tuesday said his initial plans to locate the headquarters
in Huntsville were “wrongfully obstructed by the Biden
administration.” But he also said the fact that Colorado uses
mail-in voting “played a big factor also” in moving the headquarters
away from Colorado Springs.
“The problem with Colorado is that they have a very corrupt voting
system,” Trump said.
A review by the Defense Department inspector general was
inconclusive and could not determine why Colorado was chosen over
Alabama. Trump, a Republican who enjoys deep support in Alabama, had
long been expected to move Space Command back to Alabama.
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Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama.
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