Colorado’s Aerospace Alley prepares for Space Command move to Alabama

In the world of Colorado’s aerospace industry, the Space Command move to Alabama is being taken in stride.

The decision, announced one week before Donald Trump left the office, will pull nearly $1 billion in annual salaries and operating costs out of Colorado after 2022.

What came first was disappointment. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet called the decision to relocate “short-sighted,” saying in a statement that he is “deeply disappointed” by it and will look for ways to reverse or mitigate its effects. Bennet also criticized President Donald.

Where is the Space Command located?

Colorado Springs has been home to U.S. Space Command since it was established in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan. The command was deactivated in 2002 and reactivated as a unified combatant command — one of 11 — in 2019 with an initial headquarters located at Peterson Air Force Base until a permanent home could be established.

The strategic crossroads of workers, contractors, military and government agencies, research and development centers, and defense manufacturers is known as Colorado’s “Aerospace Alley’’ because it is home to more than 450 aerospace companies employing 42,000 workers.

What Caused the Space Command Move To Alabama?

As the aerospace industry in Alabama continues to grow, Colorado’s Aerospace Alley is feeling the pressure from that growth. But it also means an influx of investment and opportunities for innovation. The aerospace community recognizes that greater competition means more incentive for innovation, which is extremely positive for the industry as a whole.

Colorado officials think politics was an important factor in the decision, citing President Donald Trump’s disappointment that he lost Colorado to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020’s election. (Biden won with 52% of the vote.) “It’s politics and it’s bad politics,” Sen.

Cory Gardner told The Denver Post after the Air Force announced it would delay the decision until the start of 2021. Colorado’s Aerospace Alley, the largest concentration of aerospace contractors and military suppliers in the country, is bracing for fallout from the Pentagon’s decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama.

What does the move mean for Colorado’s aerospace industry?

With Space Command moving to Alabama and likely taking some of Colorado’s top talent with it, Colorado’s Aerospace Alley is left wondering how best to progress without losing its edge. Watch this unfold-it will be an interesting ride.

According to John Barry, executive director of the Colorado Space Coalition, there are a lot of other customers and activities in the aerospace industry that will continue regardless of what happens to Space Command. “We’re still doing quite well.”

Colorado Springs remains home to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), which oversees more than 37,000 personnel, including 16,000 active-duty members and more than 20,000 reservists and civilian contractors. This command oversees assets such as the Atlas V rocket used by United Launch Alliance and the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites built by Lockheed Martin.

Why should Space Command stay in Colorado Springs?

Colorado’s Aerospace Alley is preparing to lose the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command to Alabama, but it’s unlikely the workforce of tens of thousands will also be transferred.

The Pentagon’s decision means that a group of more than a dozen aerospace companies in Colorado — including Lockheed Martin Space, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp, United Launch Alliance, L3 Harris Technologies, SNC and Maxar Technologies — will have to deal with the loss of hundreds of military and civilian jobs that came with the command’s relocation from California to Colorado Springs in 2019.

The area includes Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs — both of which have a history of supporting Space Command.

Facing an uncertain future with the loss of U.S. Space Command headquarters, employers are trying to make sure their companies thrive despite the loss.

“It’s just a case of politics over merit,” said Ute Indian Tribe Chairman Curtis Cesspooch. “Colorado is the number one place in the world for aerospace.”

Cesspooch is not alone in his thinking about Colorado’s Aerospace Alley and its contributions to national security and space exploration.

“We have the best-qualified people in the Air Force that are here in Colorado,” said Air Force Captain Antonia Salvatore, a spokeswoman at Peterson Air Force Base, which houses both Space Command and Space Force.

Salvatore believes Colorado is uniquely qualified to host Space Command because it already has many national defense agencies located here as well as great partnerships with surrounding universities such as CU Boulder and Colorado Springs’ own UCCS.

Aerospace Alley could also benefit from a Department of Defense decision expected this spring on who will build new ground-based missile interceptors for the nation’s ballistic missile defense program, Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., or Northrop Grumman Corp. All three major contractors have a presence in Colorado because they build satellites and missiles at facilities in the state.

The Effect of Relocation of Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville?

The Air Force’s decision to put the new U.S. Space Command headquarters in Alabama instead of Colorado is a blow to local pride and an insult to the state’s aerospace community, but it won’t have a significant negative effect on the local economy, say government and industry leaders.

The loss of an estimated 1,450 military and civilian jobs at Peterson Air Force Base and Buckley Air Force Base may actually be a boost for the region’s economy because the federal government pays its employees more than they could earn in the private sector, said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

“This is a huge blow,” said Vicky Lea, executive director of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation. “We are all very disappointed.

The command’s relocation from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama was a blow for many Colorado politicians and residents who had lobbied hard to keep it in state. But for the industry that surrounds it, the move won’t impact business — at least not immediately.

Where is Space Force headquarters going to be located?

In February, Colorado and Alabama were announced as finalists for the permanent headquarters location for U.S. Space Command along with Florida, Nebraska and Texas. In July, the Air Force announced that Huntsville had won out over Colorado Springs. However, Colorado still has 6 years to keep the space command center.

Alabama will be the new headquarters for Space Command, but Colorado’s Aerospace Alley still expects to play a leading role in the U.S. military’s sixth branch.

Colorado Springs emerged as the early favorite to win the coveted prize of housing the new command, but Alabama landed it after a long competition. The decision was met with shock and disappointment by leaders across Colorado’s aerospace community, including Gov. Jared Polis, who had pushed hard for Colorado to host the new command.

As of right now, the command has not been moved; however, the findings of the ongoing investigations and assessments might convince the successor of 45th commander in chief or Congress to reverse it.

In the interim, the headquarters will remain at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs until at least 2026. A decision on a permanent base won’t be made until 2023, once an environmental impact review is finished.