The headquarter for U.S. Space Force, the newest branch of the armed forces, will be coming to Huntsville if Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has his way.
On Friday, Brooks said that, “Redstone Arsenal has a lot to offer.”
“We have related to space command— either related a lot or related a little— the following space command activities: United States Army Aviation and Missile Command; Aviation and Missile Research Developmental and Engineering Center; PEO Missiles and Space; United States Army Space and Missile Command; Army Forces Strategic Command; United State Missile Defense Agency; Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center; NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which is the home and birthplace of America’s space program; a wealth of intellectual talent; engineers, we have the highest concentration of engineers in the United States of America; physicists; mathematicians; scientists,” Brooks said.
Rep. Brooks made the comments during a meeting of the Space Subcommittee of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Brooks is the Vice-Chair of the Space Subcommittee. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee (of which Brooks is a member). The hearing was entitled “Space Situational Awareness: Whole of Government Perspectives on Roles and Responsibilities.”
Brooks noted that the hearing witnesses: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and Commanding General of the U.S. Strategic Forces Command U.S. General John Hyten are each in a unique position to influence the decision as where to headquarter Space Force Command.
“Forgive me for diverging from the primary focus of this hearing, but it occurs to me that each of you has significant persuasive influence on where the new space command will be headquartered, so I am going to touch on that for a moment,” Brooks said. “I hope you will concur that Redstone Arsenal and space command seem like an excellent fit.”
Space Force is a new branch of the U.S. armed forces that President Donald Trump (R) has ordered the Pentagon to create.
“We must have American dominance in space,” Pres. Trump said during a speech at the National Space Council meeting. “I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense to immediately begin the process to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.”
“We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the space force,” Trump said. “Separate, but equal. It is going to be something so important.”
Trump has directed Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to “carry that assignment out.”
Congressman Brooks has been a vocal proponent of the idea of Space Command.
