By Mike Stone, Reuters
US President Donald Trump at the White House. Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (US time) the relocation of US Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama, in a move that will draw criticism from Democrats and could cost hundreds of millions.
The move, first reported on Tuesday morning by Reuters, benefits a state that overwhelmingly supported Trump's three Republican presidential bids, at the expense of one that opposed them.
"We love Alabama. I only won it by about 47 points. I don't think that influenced my decision, though," Trump told reporters and lawmakers gathered in the Oval Office.
The decision reverses a move made under former president Joe Biden's administration, which had selected Colorado Springs as the permanent home for the military's newest combatant command.
Defence officials have previously estimated that relocating the headquarters, which became fully operational in December 2023, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take three to four years to complete.
About 1700 personnel work at Space Command, according to congressional records.
Trump has often linked federal funding decisions and politics. The president previously blocked a move to put the FBI's headquarters in Maryland, calling it a "liberal state," and suggested linking disaster aid in California to the state's policy decisions.
Huntsville, home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre and a major hub for defence contractors, such as L3Harris and Lockheed Martin, has long lobbied for the Space Command headquarters.
The Space Command, established in 2019 under the first Trump administration, is responsible for military operations beyond Earth's atmosphere and defending US satellites from potential threats.
-Reuters
