HUNTSVILLE — Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command, emphasized the strength of the partnerships that make Huntsville a critical hub for innovation, readiness and mission success during a keynote speech at the annual Redstone Update.
Whiting highlighted the accelerating pace in space, and the essential role Redstone Arsenal plays in meeting emerging threats. Whiting noted that Huntsville’s unique ecosystem – a blend of federal agencies, high-tech companies, academia and a supportive community – has positioned the region to help lead the world in space superiority, missile defense and multi-domain operations.
As Space Command establishes its home on Redstone Arsenal, Whiting said that collaboration with local partners will be key to maintaining U.S. strategic advantage.
“U.S. Space Command is excited to be moving to Huntsville and north Alabama, and we commit to do so in a professional, expeditious and efficient manner, while ensuring we fully execute all of our ongoing, vital, real-world missions,” Whiting said during his keynote.
Prior to assisting in unveiling three large signs Friday denoting the future Space Command headquarters, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered brief remarks in support of its relocation.
“Air Force Secretary Meink made the right choice recommending to me recommending to that this is the place to continue to establish space dominance — right here in Alabama,” Hegseth said.
Along with Meink’s support, building the new Spacecom headquarters at Redstone Arsenal was also championed by the previous two Air Force secretaries, according to House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Saks).
Hegseth said that, along with the values of peace through strength and putting America first, the Trump administration and the War Department also view using common sense as crucial to success.
“It’s common sense that this is precisely where Space Command should be; it’s common sense that we need to move rapidly and expeditiously, and we will,” he said. “We are deadly serious in committing to cutting every piece of red tape and bureaucracy to get this headquarters established as quickly as humanly possible.”
The FBI announced plans to nearly double its workforce at Redstone by 2030 – bringing its total workforce to nearly 4,000. Deputy Assistant FBI Director Kevin Jones shared about their new Kinetic Cyber Range which was designed to simulate realistic cyber and digital forensics scenarios.
The FBI said it’s the most advanced unclassified cyber training facility in the world.
“As an unclassified training environment, we’ll have the opportunity to have state, local, and federal partners train with us in those facilities,” said Kevin Jones, Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI.
Roger Baird, associate director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center said the launch window for Artemis II mission opens in eight weeks. The mission will be the first crewed lunar spaceflight mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Baird also reminded attendees that just last month, the International Space Station (ISS) celebrated its 25-year anniversary.
MSFC is home to the ISS Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC), which provides ground control for all science on the ISS – including managing science experiments, data and crew coordination. Baird said the ISS has been home to 280 people from 23 countries and conducted over 4,000 experiments.
Huntsville’s relationship with Redstone Arsenal, a Federal Center of Excellence, is more than geographic location – it is a shared commitment to national security and technological leadership.
