The new home for U.S. Space Command’s headquarters is expected to be named in early 2021.
The Department of the Air Force in November unveiled the slate of six locations that made the first cut for Space Command headquarters. Those locations include four Air Force bases — Kirtland in New Mexico, Offutt in Nebraska, Patrick in Florida, and Peterson in Colorado, which currently houses Space Command’s interim headquarters.
Redstone Army Airfield in Alabama and Port San Antonio in Texas, which was the home of the former Kelly Air Force Base and now hosts Air National Guard and reserve operations, are the other two candidates under consideration.
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About 1,400 military and civilian personnel are expected to work at Space Command’s new headquarters. And wherever the new headquarters is located, government contractors and space industry companies will surely follow, which is expected to buoy the local community’s economy and employment.
The Air Force looked at communities across 24 states, which nominated themselves, as potential locations.
Next, the Air Force will conduct virtual and on-site visits to each location and decide which would be best-suited to be Space Command’s next headquarters. Factors including infrastructure capacity, community support, and costs to the Defense Department will be considered.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
