Thursday, U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) and Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), issued a joint statement saying Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal is the “best place” for the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command.
The letter was a response to members of Colorado’s congressional delegation continuing to argue against the U.S. Air Force’s decision to permanently locate the U.S. Space Command in Huntsville.
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) joined WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program” on Friday to discuss why he agreed with Aderholt and Sewell on Space Command coming to Huntsville.
“Fortunately, even the Biden administration, the leadership of the Biden administration, the Pentagon, they’ve agreed that Redstone Arsenal is the best place to place it,” said Brooks. “It just makes more sense with all the space work, all the high tech work, all of the intellectual brainpower that we have here in the Tennessee Valley.”
Even though he’s optimistic that Space Command will still come to Huntsville, Brooks warned that Colorado wouldn’t stop fighting against the move any time soon.
“Colorado, give them credit, they’re going to fight for this prestigious national defense command that we’ve been able in Redstone Arsenal here in the Tennessee Valley,” he warned, “and they’re not going to quit fighting until that building is built. So there going to use every tool in their toolbox to try to shift what we’ve been able to obtain with our space defense efforts here in Redstone Arsenal. They’re going to try to get it back in Colorado just as much as they can, and this battle is going to be ongoing probably for another year and a half.”
The Huntsville congressman said the ultimate decision was the president’s and Biden could change his mind if he wants.
“[T]he key is the Biden administration,” he added. “Joe Biden as commander-n-chief he can pretty much put it wherever he wants. He can do it directly or indirectly. He is the commander-in-chief, this is a military project. So ultimately the buck stops with whoever the President of the United States is, and so far the Biden administration has concurred that on a merit based evaluation Redstone Arsenal is the place to put it.”
Members of Congress have received a briefing on a report they requested from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to investigate the Air Force’s decision.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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