Ohio bids for U.S. Space Command before it takes off for Alabama

Sen. Sherrod Brown and other Ohio lawmakers have jumped into the fray over whether the Biden administration will reverse a 2021 decision to move U.S. Space Command to Alabama from its current location in Colorado.

In a last-minute wildcard bid to host the military headquarters, the Democratic senator and other members of Ohio’s congressional delegation this week sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall touting their state’s suitability as Space Command’s home base.

“The state of Ohio is ideally suited to host U.S. Space Command and Space Force units,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to locate the U.S. Space Command permanent headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.”

They noted that Ohio already hosts other Air Force and NASA installations, including the National Space Intelligence Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

“These facilities support key space-related operations, including innovation in space components and technology,” the letter stated. “Co-locating the U.S. Space Command headquarters with these assets will generate incredible potential for cross-functional collaboration that will greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.”

During the waning days of the Trump administration, Air Force officials announced that Space Command would be moving from its current location in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama. It led to accusations from some Colorado officials that partisan politics was behind the decision.

The Defense Department’s inspector general found that President Trump’s decision to move the headquarters to Alabama was “reasonable,” but concerns that the process was flawed resulted in the Biden administration ordering another review that has yet to be finalized.

The delay has given Ohio another opportunity to make a pitch for Space Command.

“With NASA in Cleveland, GE Aerospace and (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) in Dayton and world-class research universities and talent pipelines across our state, there’s no better home for protecting our national security than Ohio,” Mr. Brown wrote this week on Twitter.