House GOP set for next salvo in Space Command HQ battle

The House Armed Services Committee is expected to grill top Biden administration officials during a Thursday hearing after a planned headquarters shift for U.S. Space Command was scrapped by the Biden administration, which infuriated Alabama Republicans.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the committee, will lead a full committee hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday on the nixed plan to transfer Space Command headquarters to his state, which he and other Alabama politicians have decried as a politically motivated decision.

“We will get answers on President Biden’s political manipulation of the selection process,” Rogers said in a statement announcing the hearings, claiming Biden made the decision “in order to improve his political standing for next year’s re-election.”

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and the commander of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, will testify at the hearing, along with Gen. Chance Saltzman, the chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force.

Space Command is one of 11 combat command centers under the Pentagon. Former President Trump revived the command center as an independent entity in 2018 to protect American interests in space and temporarily placed its operations in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a plan to relocate it to Alabama’s Huntsville.

The Biden administration, however, ditched the plan in July and said keeping the base within Colorado would maintain military readiness as the relocation process could take up to the early or mid-2030s, while keeping it in Colorado means full operation in a month.

The clash is not surprising. A Space Command headquarters is flush with benefits: about 1,400 jobs for an estimated annual $1 billion economic impact.

Here’s what to expect as lawmakers are set to press officials on the decision.

Abortion laws impacting the decision a leading concern

In May, NBC News reported the Biden administration may choose not to relocate Space Command because of a near-total abortion ban in the state.

That quickly led to a formal investigation headed by Rogers, who was already frustrated with the long delay of relocating Space Command.

The investigation so far has not yielded any discernible public results. Rogers has complained that Biden administration officials have refused to provide documents and information.

In August, Rogers announced that a hearing would take place and that the Pentagon would provide the requested documents.

Rep. Dale Strong (R-Ala.), who also sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said he had asked for the hearing because the Biden reversal “threatens the credibility” of the Pentagon “and sets a dangerous precent for all future military decisions.”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said this is far from over,” he said in a statement. “I’ve certainly got a lot of questions I’m ready to ask.”

Pentagon reports found Huntsville is the best option

Alabama lawmakers say Huntsville was selected under a fair process as the best choice for the base.

Redstone Arsenal was one of six finalists for the headquarters along with Peterson Air Force Base, but only the Huntsville base finished first in both the Air Force’s evaluation and selection phase.

Colorado lawmakers have complained that the original decision was politically motivated by Trump, who has said he “single-handedly” chose Redstone Arsenal.

In office, Biden ordered reviews of the decision, questioning if Trump chose Redstone Arsenal in Alabama over Peterson Air Force Base because he enjoys more political support in the Yellowhammer State.

But a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report and a Pentagon inspector general evaluation found the process under Trump was largely fair.

Rogers asked the GAO to launch another inquiry, this time into Biden’s selection process for the headquarters.

In Thursday’s hearing, lawmakers are likely to point to the preferred selection of Redstone Arsenal and the reviews finding no wrongdoing in Trump’s decision.

Alabama concerned Space Command was built out

Alabama is also concerned that Space Command’s temporary location was built up prior to the formal decision not to relocate.

Before the July decision, House lawmakers offered amendments in the annual defense bill to restrict funding to build out a Space Command site in Colorado before a final selection is made.

While those amendments are likely not valid anymore because the final decision was made, the concerns remain.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) released records claiming that Dickinson purchased a $1.5 million, 20-acre ranch near the Colorado base in April, according to AL.com.

“This new revelation raises more questions into the legitimacy of an already dubious decision by President Biden,” Britt wrote. “Alabama’s congressional delegation is going to continue fighting to right this wrong.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has demanded a Pentagon inspector general investigation into the process based on Dickinson’s apparent purchase.

“Since taking office, this president has targeted red states for daring to resist his radical progressive agenda,” the attorney general said. “But when it comes to national security, politics must take a backseat.”