The Washington Examiner published an editorial on Thursday in which the outlet criticized President Donald Trump's expected announcement that U.S. Space Command would be moved from Colorado‘s Peterson Space Force Base to Alabama‘s Redstone Arsenal.
The editorial, behind a paywall, acknowledged that the Secretary of the Air Force designated the Redstone Arsenal site in Huntsville as the top choice for the Space Command headquarters in 2021. That recommendation for the site was then affirmed by the Inspector General's Office and the GAO, both of which found that the Air Force had conducted an accurate analysis and Huntsville was the superior location, but then-President Joe Biden rejected the military recommendations and instead chose the Colorado location.
The Washington Examiner wrote, "Pushing ahead with this would be a serious error of judgment that would bring immediate costs to Space Command’s operating efficiency as the centerpiece of the military’s space operations."
"A relocation as big and complex as this one would pose many known and unknown risks. What if some key members of Space Command’s large civilian workforce refuse to make the move to Alabama, as will surely be the case? How long will it take to rehire skilled professionals with top-level security clearances? What if new construction in Alabama is delayed or later found to be inadequate? These what-if questions demand attention because Space Command is already fully operational (two years earlier than expected) at Peterson Space Force Base," the outlet later posited.
The Washington Examiner went on to question rewarding Alabama's "sizable" Republican delegation in Congress with Space Command, given the move's considerable risk. The outlet added that such a risky move to "punish Colorado and reward would be folly."
"As commander in chief, Trump’s first obligation isn’t to reward political loyalty from Alabama Republicans," the editorial staff wrote. "Instead, it is to ensure his decisions maximize national security. On that criterion, it would be a serious mistake to relocate Space Command."
To risk America’s national security because Trump wants to punish Colorado and reward Alabama would be folly," it concluded.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who has met with Trump regarding Space Command, has said the move is "not if, but when."
On Thursday, Tuberville, who is the frontrunner in Alabama's 2026 gubernatorial race, called out the Examiner editorial and argued that the Biden administration playing partisan politics was the "real 'folly' here."
"The real 'folly' here is the Biden administration putting partisan politics over our national security. MULTIPLE nonpartisan reports ranked Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the NUMBER ONE LOCATION for SPACECOM. Colorado Springs is not secure and was always meant to be temporary. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are putting our national security first and RESTORING MERIT to the Department of Defense," he wrote.
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