Hegseth in Huntsville for symbolic event in Space Command HQ relocation

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrived in Huntsville Friday morning, deplaning to greet local officials and military personnel waiting on the tarmac as he began a high-profile visit to Redstone Arsenal.

The Secretary’s trip centers on the newly relocated U.S. Space Command Headquarters, where he will attend a designation ceremony marking the facility’s official establishment in Alabama. The move represents a significant shift in the military’s space operations infrastructure.

Hegseth’s agenda also includes meetings with Army acquisition counterparts to discuss procurement priorities and modernization efforts. Defense industry leaders from the region, known as a hub for aerospace and defense technology, are scheduled to meet with the Secretary during his visit.

The Huntsville area has long been integral to American military and space operations, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and a dense concentration of defense contractors.

The relocation of Space Command headquarters has led to the filing of a legal challenge by the State of Colorado, which is taking the White House and Pentagon to court. However, federal officials are already in the process of beginning the move.

While in the Rocket City, Hegseth met with some Boeing employees and thanked them for their contributions to the nation’s defense.

“It was a pleasure to see not just what you’re doing, but what you’re building toward, also,” he said. “I mean, the charge the President has given us — that we’ve embraced at the Department — is building the arsenal of freedom.”