Space Command move in full swing, Gen. Whiting says
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting says Space Command's program management office is up and running. Photo: Courtesy of Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Space Command's move to Huntsville is continuing apace, according to Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting.
Why it matters: The Space Command move is launching a new chapter in Huntsville's military history book, expected to bring jobs and investment and cement the Rocket City's hold on America's space industry.
Catch up quick: President Trump announced the decision to move Space Command from Colorado Springs to Redstone Arsenal in September.
- The move will bring an estimated 1,400 Space Command personnel to Redstone. Colorado sued the Trump administration over the decision in October, saying it was illegally based on the state's voting practices.
Zoom in: Whiting declined to comment directly on the lawsuit Wednesday but said, "We've been given direction from the president, and that's what we're going to implement."
- He said no timeline on construction has yet solidified, but Space Command's program management office is up and running on the arsenal.
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink will be on hand Friday for the unveiling of Space Command's sign, Whiting said.
What they're saying: Whiting told Axios that whether folks decide to move from Colorado will be "individual decisions" — and that it's on leaders to help people understand what's available in North Alabama.
- "Certainly, military people follow orders," he said. "Government civilians get choices, and so we'll want to make sure they have all the information they can to make the best decision."
- He said that, personally, he's been visiting Huntsville for more than 30 years to visit his brother. Whiting's mother was born on Auburn's campus, he said, and his parents have now moved to Huntsville as well.
"We really are happy to be here in Huntsville and North Alabama," Whiting said.
Zoom out: In remarks Wednesday to around 900 at the Von Braun Center, Whiting laid out Space Command's mission, partners and objectives, as well as the threats it faces, namely China and Russia.
- "The biggest challenge we face in space is China," Whiting said. "They have moved breathtakingly fast over the last 20 years."
- China has done that by studying the U.S. carefully since Desert Storm 35 years ago, mimicking U.S. space capabilities, and constructing a space-based targeting system as part of its stated goal to become the world's space superpower by 2049, he said.
- Russia, the original space superpower, continues to invest in counter-space capabilities, he said, and reports suggest it's developing an on-orbit nuclear weapon capable of attacking "everybody's space capabilities" equally, in violation of the Outer Space Treaty.
Driving the news: Space Command now has a named operation — the seven-nation Operation Olympic Defender — under which it has issued its first formal order, Whiting said.
- "We just published our first campaign order, and now we're starting to do bilateral and multilateral operations in space with our satellites to demonstrate our ability to work together," he said.
The bottom line: "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," Whiting said.