Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter Thursday to the U.S. Department of Defense's Inspector General demanding an investigation into the sudden reversal of the decision to locate U.S. Space Command headquarters in Huntsville.
The request for an investigation comes after news of the head of Space Command, General James Dickinson, a previous advocate for the Redstone Arsenal site in Huntsville, changed his recommendation for the headquarters to instead stay in Colorado.
The change of preference occurred shortly after Dickinson purchased a $1.5 million, 20-acre ranch in April near the Colorado location, which was never disclosed to stakeholders in the process, according to Marshall.
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"Since taking office, this president has targeted red states for daring to resist his radical progressive agenda. But when it comes to national security, politics must take a backseat," Marshall said in a statement. "I implore the Inspector General to investigate the oddly timed investment by General Dickinson which coincided with his recommendation against the Air Force's preferred site in Huntsville. And I will continue to use the unique power of my office to hold President Biden accountable and demand transparency into this politically motivated charade."
In January 2021, the Secretary of the Air Force identified the Redstone Arsenal site in Huntsville as the top choice for the U.S. Space Command headquarters. The recommendation for the site was then affirmed by the Inspector General's Office and the Government Accountability Office, both of which found that the Air Force had conducted an accurate analysis and Huntsville was the superior location.
Yet on July 31, government officials reported that President Joe Biden reversed the decision to locate Space Command's headquarters in Huntsville and instead selected a location in Colorado.
News reports credited Dickinson with convincing Biden to choose Colorado. General Dickinson's role surprised Alabama officials, who had spoken to the general weeks earlier, in June, where he confirmed with Alabama's congressional delegation that Redstone Arsenal would be the headquarters for U.S. Space Command.
The general did not disclose his recent home purchase or other personal interests in Colorado to Alabama officials, and it is unknown whether he disclosed it to Biden or his other superiors.
2023.08.17 Space Command IG Letter (1) by Caleb Taylor on Scribd
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