WASHINGTON — In what seems like a never-ending saga or a scene from the movie “Groundhog Day,” U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville pressed Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall about finalizing the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal.
Kendall said, once again, he had “nothing new to report.”
The most recent questioning came Tuesday in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) asked Kendall to answer questions about the continued delays in the process, reminding the secretary that repeated requests for reviews and information from members of the Colorado delegation are to blame.
“Secretary Kendall, it wouldn’t be a hearing if I hadn’t asked you about Space Command,” Tuberville said. “You and I have talked about this quite a bit. Are we getting closer? You know, we’re on the verge in our lifetime of a dangerous world.
“And, you know, we might be fighting this thing from space if we don’t watch it. And we want to make sure that we’re doing the right things.”
Kendall said he is hopeful of a decision “as soon as possible, but I don’t have any new information … I just don’t have anything more to provide.”
The Air Force announced Redstone Arsenal as the new permanent location of SPACECOM in 2021, following an extensive search for the best location for the combatant command headquarters. Since then, Tuberville and other elected officials have presented facts and reports showing Redstone Arsenal as the best place for the command.
Despite the lack of a decision, Kendall confirmed that it’s important the military moves forward with a permanent location for SPACECOM.
And, Tuberville agreed.
“You know, I think we all do,” he said. “Nebraska who is on the list number two and then San Antonio number three, I think we all are kind of sitting around waiting to see what’s going to happen.
“But we sure would like to get this decision made and moved on down the road and have the opportunity to build on it instead of having guess work.”
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