By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - President Joe Biden has chosen to keep the US Space Command in Colorado, nixing his predecessor Donald Trump's decision to relocate the headquarters to Alabama.
Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the decision was made "following a thorough and deliberate evaluation process" and in consultation with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and senior military leaders.
"From the start, DoD and the Department of the Air Force have worked diligently to ensure the basing decision resulted from an objective and deliberate process informed by data and analysis, in compliance with federal law and DoD policy," Ryder said in a statement.
"Locating Headquarters U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period. It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests," he added.
The decision to keep Space Command's headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado instead of relocating it to Huntsville, Alabama is sure to set off a bitter row with state lawmakers and accusations that the decision was motivated at least in part by the southern state's abortion restrictions.
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, who launched an investigation into delays to relocate Space Command, slammed the decision, saying "it’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision."
"I will continue this investigation to see if they intentionally misled the Armed Services Committee on their deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of the selection process. I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable for their egregious political meddling in our national security," he said.
“This fight is far from over," he added.
The decision also comes amid an ongoing stalemate with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is also from Alabama, over his decision to place holds on hundreds of Pentagon nominations in a bid to pressure the Pentagon to end its policy of providing paid time off for service members and their dependents to receive reproductive healthcare, including abortions.
Biden and Pentagon brass have derided Tuberville's "dangerous" decision, saying it imperils US military readiness.
The Pentagon instituted its reproductive health travel policy in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark legal ruling that had enshrined federal abortion protections across the country for half a century.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said as many as 650 military leadership positions could be vacant by year's end without a resolution to the impasse. There are over 265 general and flag officer positions that are stalled in the Senate by Tuberville, including the head of the US Marine Corps.