In an interview with Denver7 anchor Jessica Porter on Tuesday, the former mayor of Colorado Springs discussed President Donald Trump’s proposed relocation of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) from Colorado to Alabama and what comes next for its current home.
John W. Suthers, a Republican who was mayor when Colorado Springs put in its bid to host the Space Command headquarters, said he was “not surprised, but very disappointed” in the decision.
He said the move is likely to take several years and could cost billions of dollars.
“For a president that's talked about cutting the budget and things like that, it really makes no sense from an economic standpoint. It makes no sense from a national security standpoint,” Suthers said.
Trump said Tuesday that Colorado's use of mail-in voting played a role in the decision – but that Huntsville beat out "a lot of competition" because it "fought harder" than other bidders.
In 2023, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report identified Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal as Space Command's "preferred" headquarters location.
What would the economic impact be of a Space Command move?
According to a Congressional Research Service report, approximately 1,700 personnel are directly assigned to SPACECOM headquarters. Approximately 18,000 joint force personnel are assigned to the command's service and functional component commands, which are based in six states.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said about 1,400 Space Command jobs will transition to Redstone Arsenal over the next five years.
While it’s not a relatively large command, Suthers said Colorado Springs could feel the impact from related business.
“The most significant aspect of it is that a lot of companies want to be at the place that Space Command is headquartered, [and] while some of those offices will remain here, we may have a smaller presence in a whole variety of private sector defense companies,” he said.
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CO congressional delegation join other leaders in opposing Space Command move
Scripps News Group Colorado Springs has reported that Space Command has about 800 civilian positions. Many of those civilians, Suthers said, may not move if the command was relocated.
Suthers went on to say that Colorado Springs will continue to be a “very big player” in space and defense even if Space Command heads east.
“Even if it moves, we'll continue to assert that Colorado Springs should remain an epicenter of military and civilian space,” he said, “but certainly a disappointing development today.”
‘It’s not over until it’s over’
So, what happens next after the president’s announcement? First off, the move would require Congressional approval of the funding for military construction.
Republicans have the majority in both the house and senate. Colorado’s congressional delegation, for its part, spoke out in unity against the decision to move Space Command.
“I think the appropriation will take some time, and [if it] gets to after the midterm election, that could change the whole complexion of congressional support for a move and things like that,” Suthers told Denver7. “Yogi Berra would say, ‘It's not over till it's over.’ I think that's true in terms of military base moves, but this is still a disappointing first step.”