U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and members of Alabama's federal delegation, along with local elected officials, attended an unveiling ceremony at Redstone Arsenal on Friday for U.S. Space Command's new site.
The event, held on the future 60-acre site of Space Command, represented a major milestone in the process of relocating the military entity out of Colorado, following several evaluations and years of struggling with the Biden administration to move the headquarters to Huntsville.
Hegseth delivered remarks praising Alabama's delegation for their determined efforts in bringing Space Command to the Rocket City.
"It's a blessing and an honor to be here," Hegseth told the crowd. "I want to say congratulations to Alabama, congratulations to Huntsville, congratulations to Redstone Arsenal, congratulations to this entire delegation, the leadership from the chairman to the delegation. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery). Mayor Battle. Governor, coach, Senator (Tuberville), whatever your title is, congratulations. You guys represent your state extremely well. "
"And I also want to pass my congratulations and thanks from President Trump. He wanted me to pass the message on Space Command to Alabama. Welcome home," added Hegseth.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) also addressed the attendees, touting the hard work from lawmakers that took place "behind the scenes" to make the relocation possible.
"This is a great day for the world, for America, for Alabama and for Huntsville," Tuberville said.
"My God, I mean, what we already have here, and then on top of it, Space Command, coming here with, with General Whiting, it brings tears to your eyes, because I don't think a lot of you really realize what is going on behind the scenes of trying to get this done and done the right way."
Tuberville said the command needs to be operational relatively quickly to address growing concerns regarding space.
"We need to do it the right way. We need to do it very fast, because most of you out here don't really realize the problems that we're having when it comes to space," noted Tuberville. "We need to step up and put our best foot forward. And Huntsville will do that. Alabama will do it. [U.S. Space Command Commander ]General Stephen Whiting and his family are moving here, and his team will do it. And I'm just looking forward to it."
"It's a special day for all of us," he added.
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) said Space Command’s relocation is now “moving rapidly.”
“There are already people that have been placed on notice, as a matter of fact, after the announcement at the Oval Office, they were placed on notice to start moving,” stated Strong.
“There’s a lot more announcements coming in the days ahead, exactly how Space Command will move forward, and also how Golden Dome will,” noted Strong. “We will have a big piece of that pile.”
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle called the event a "moment of pride" for the city and thanked Alabama's federal delegation.
"The community has waited many years for this day, and it is finally here. It validates decades of investment in space, defense, education and quality of life," stated Battle. "The work isn't done, but Huntsville is ready."
"I want to thank Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, for his leadership. I also want to thank our full delegation. Senator Britt, Senator Tuberville, [U.S. Rep.] Dale Strong (R-Huntsville)."
The mayor praised the delegation's cohesiveness on the issue.
"It's amazing when you have a unified delegation, what can happen," Battle said.
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