Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today applauded the selection of four Colorado Air Force bases as finalists in the search for a base to headquarter the U.S. Space Command. The Air Force Secretary’s announcement named six finalist bases, four of which are located in Colorado: Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.
“As the epicenter of national security space, Colorado is the prime location to further national efforts to ensure our continued technological superiority, global leadership, and capabilities in space. I am glad the Air Force recognizes all our state has to offer and has named four Colorado bases as finalists for the home of U.S. Space Command,” Bennet said. “I welcome Air Force Space Command’s and Joint Force Space Component Command’s assessment of our state in the next steps of this process. I am confident a decision to base U.S. Space Command in Colorado would best position our nation to maintain superiority in space.”
In order to reach a final decision, Air Force Space Command and Joint Force Space Component Command will conduct site surveys and analyze each candidate location for its ability to meet mission requirements, capacity, environmental impact, and cost criteria. A final decision regarding the base selected to host the U.S. Space Command is expected during the summer of 2019. The announcement will be followed by an environmental analysis.
In March of this year, Bennet led the Colorado congressional delegation in a letter to acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, encouraging him to reestablish U.S. Space Command in Colorado.