"The headquarters of US Space Command (SPACECOM) will be relocated to the wonderful city of Huntsville, Alabama, a city which will now forever be known as Rocket City," US President Donald Trump announced on 2/9.
Huntsville has, in fact, held the nickname "Rocket City" for decades due to its pioneering role in US space programs. Some of the country's early rockets, including ballistic missiles, were developed and tested at the US Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
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US President Donald Trump at the White House on 2/9. Photo: AP |
US President Donald Trump at the White House on 2/9. Photo: AP
"We initially selected Huntsville as the headquarters for SPACECOM, but that plan was wrongly interfered with by the Biden administration," President Trump said.
In 2021, during Trump's first term, the US Air Force identified Huntsville as the preferred location for SPACECOM's headquarters.
However, the administration of former US President Joe Biden decided in 2023 to officially locate SPACECOM's headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the agency was then using as a temporary headquarters, citing the need to avoid operational disruptions.
One of Trump's reasons for relocating SPACECOM's headquarters is his dislike of Colorado's allowance of mail-in voting. Trump has repeatedly alleged that this voting method leads to election fraud, a theory that has been proven incorrect, according to AFP.
"When a state allows mail-in voting, it means they don't want honest elections, because that's the nature of it," the US President said.
The announcement follows years of competition between Colorado and Alabama to host SPACECOM, which would bring an increase in local jobs.
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SPACECOM's early warning system at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado in 2012. Photo: Reuters |
SPACECOM's early warning system at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado in 2012. Photo: Reuters
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, expressed "deep disappointment" and requested an explanation of how the decision was made.
"This is the wrong decision, undermining military readiness and national security, eroding the faith of the American people in their country and its leaders to do what is right," he said.
SPACECOM was originally established in 1985, then deactivated in 2002 to merge its roles and personnel into Strategic Command. SPACECOM was re-established in 2019 with the mission of managing US operations in space.
This is a critical front in modern warfare, as many military technologies rely on a network of sensors and satellites in orbit.
Pham Giang (According to AFP, AP)
