Huntsville Picked For Headquarters Of New U.S. Space Command
The Pentagon has selected Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal as the headquarters for the nation’s new U.S. Space Command.
“We will make you proud of your decision,’’ Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle said Wednesday in a statement. “We look forward to the partnership with the U.S. Space Command and pledge to make it a success from day one.’’
The Air Force said Huntsville is the “preferred and reasonable’’ site pending a required environmental impact study — considered a routine process —
that should be finished by 2023.
Six cities were considered for the headquarters, including Colorado Springs, CO, which is the current temporary headquarters of the new agency.
The military chose Huntsville because it topped a list of criteria, including a large, qualified workforce, quality schools and superior infrastructure, the Air Force said.
Huntsville’s Research Park boasts one of the largest concentrations of high tech, space and defense-related firms, with more than 400 such firms and industries located in Huntsville.
Gov. Kay Ivey said a top Air Force officer called her this morning about the decision.
“Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration,’’ Ivey said.
The arsenal’s Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Saturn V rocket that landed men on the moon.
“The bottom line is simple,” Ivey said. “The Redstone Arsenal is the most natural choice to become home to such an important mission for our country.”
Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, said that the decision will have “a vast economic impact’’ on the area.
“The long-awaited decision by the Air Force is a true testament to all Alabama has to offer,’’ he said.
Locating the command in Huntsville initially will bring 1,600 new jobs to the area, according to al.com, with more to come as the command grows and consolidates.
North Alabama lawmakers also applauded the decision. State Rep. Danny Crawford, a Republican from Athens, called the news “exciting.’’
“We are going to continue to grow,’’ he said. “It will put some pressure on our infrastructure, but that’s a good thing.’’
The announcement is the latest in a series of moves by the federal government to locate highly sought-after transfers to the Arsenal, many as a result of the government’s cost-cutting efforts to close military bases by consolidating agencies.
Among the headquarters already on the Arsenal are the Army’s anti-missile defense effort and its Army Materiel Command. The FBI is also making the base its cyber-security headquarters, a move so significant the Arsenal is being referred to as “the second Langley,’’ the FBI’s headquarters.
Early last year, Congress, at President Donald Trump’s urging, approved consolidating the Air Force’s space defense efforts into the new Space Command.
United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate
The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution
An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.
Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general
After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.
Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth
The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.
Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes
Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.
In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence
As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.
