Biden-Tuberville feud revs up with decision to put space command headquarters in Colorado Springs

WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden's decision to make Colorado the permanent home for the U.S. Space Command headquarters intensified an already heated feud with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who accused the White House of "injecting politics into the military."

Biden's decision, announced Monday, overturned a last-minute move by the Trump administration to relocate the center to Alabama, Tuberville's home state.

The reversal comes amid a bitter standoff between Biden and Tuberville, who the White House has accused of endangering national security by blocking the promotions of senior military jobs to protest a Pentagon abortion policy.

Tuberville slammed Biden for setting a "dangerous precedent that military bases are to be used as rewards for political support rather than for national security." He added, "This is absolutely not over," vowing in a statement Tuesday to continue to work to bring the Space Command headquarters to his state.

The White House rejected Tuberville's assertions.

"The deciding factor for President Biden in deciding to keep Space Command in Colorado Springs was operational readiness, pure and simple," said John Kirby, the National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications. "Had nothing to do with Senator Tuberville's holds, had nothing to do with partisan politics."

Biden was swayed by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness, the Associated Press reported. But Air Force leadership, with studied the issue at length determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama was the right move.

A report released by the Government Accountability Office in June 2022 found the Alabama site the "preferred location" over five locations including Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has served as Space Command's temporary home since the command was formally created in August 2019.

The review was prompted by former President Donald Trump's announcement in his final days of presidency in 2021 to back Huntsville, Alabama for the headquarters after Air Force and Space Force leaders initially recommended it stay in Colorado.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said keeping the Space Command headquarters in Colorado ensures "peak readiness" during a critical period in the space domain. "It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests," Ryder said.

Other Alabama Republican members of Congress echoed Tuberville in blasting the choice.

"It's clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind the decision," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He said Biden's decision warrants a congressional investigation. "This fight is far from over."

Proponents of keeping the command in Colorado argued that moving to Huntsville and creating a new headquarters would set back its progress at a time it needs to move quickly to be positioned to match China’s military space rise. And Colorado Springs is also home to the Air Force Academy, which now graduates Space Force guardians, and more than 24 military space missions, including three Space Force bases.

Colorado's two Democratic senators cheered the decision.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said the move "restores integrity to the Pentagon’s basing process and sends a strong message that national security and the readiness of our Armed Forces drive our military decisions. Colorado is the rightful home for U.S. Space Command, and our state will continue to lead America in space for years to come."

And breaking with their Alabama colleagues, Colorado's Republican members of Congress also praised the selection of their state.

Rep. Ken Buck, R.-Colo, said, “I applaud the decision today by the Biden administration to keep U.S. Space Command where it belongs — in Colorado,” Even Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., one of Biden's most outspoken critics, commended the choice, calling Colorado Springs Space Command's "rightful home."

Contributing: Associated Press and USA TODAY White House correspondent Francesca Chambers

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's space command decision escalates feud with Tommy Tuberville