COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn has announced a deal that would keep the U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs for at least six years.
Lamborn, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said the new agreement came with guidelines for permanently housing the command, which oversees military missions in orbit, The Gazette reported.
The command brings more than 1,400 troops and civilian workers and potentially billions of dollars to the Pikes Peak region, officials said.
The Pentagon is expected to announce its preferred location for the command in early 2021.
“Based on the criteria, I am thoroughly confident that Colorado Springs remains the best home for Space Command, especially as the space defense industry and space operations infrastructure in our community continue to grow,” Lamborn said.
The criteria includes requirements that the command must be near military bases with space assets and have high-security facilities security and communications capabilities.
“With our existing military space infrastructure - whether at Peterson Air Force Base, Buckley Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, the National Space Defense Center, U.S. Northern Command, or North American Aerospace Defense Command - Colorado is the perfect place for and now home to U.S. Space Command,” Republican U.S. Sen Cory Gardner said.
Alabama and Florida are also being considered to house the command following the six-year deal, Lamborn said.
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