President Donald Trump is expected to announce that US Space Command will move its headquarters from Colorado to Alabama during a 2 p.m. ET announcement in the Oval Office, according to a source familiar with the matter.
US Space Command, which is a joint command and separate from the US Space Force military branch, is currently housed in Colorado Springs. The decision to go with Alabama comes after an April report by the Department of Defense Inspector General, who “could not determine” the rationale for choosing Colorado.
The headquarters’ location has been the source of controversy.
Some background: During Trump’s first administration, officials decided to move it to Alabama, and a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2022 found the US Air Force’s decision-making process had “significant shortfalls in its transparency and credibility.” Then in 2023, President Joe Biden elected to have it remain in Colorado, angering Alabama lawmakers.
Then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall had recommended to Biden that the headquarters be moved to Alabama in line with the initial Air Force recommendation, according to two US officials. Former Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett also chose Huntsville as the preferred location for SPACECOM headquarters in 2021. But Biden ultimately followed the advice of the head of Space Command, who argued that the headquarters should remain in Colorado.
In a post last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey wrote: “Space Command coming to Huntsville? Count on it. Huntsville was already chosen once before as the home for U.S. Space Command — and for good reason. I remain confident that Alabama is the right place for this mission to take root and thrive.”
CNN’s Kristin Fisher, Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting.