ARIZONA SHOULD BE HOME OF U.S. SPACE COMMAND - SINEMA

Statement

WASHINGTON -- Arizona senior Senator wrote to the U.S. Air Force Secretary advocating for Arizona to be selected as home of the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) headquarters. Sinema highlighted that both the Tucson and the Phoenix Metropolitan Areas meet the Air Force's screening and evaluation criteria for the permanent installation of SPACECOM headquarters.

"Arizona leads the U.S. in space exploration and innovation. Basing SPACECOM's headquarters in Arizona, among our world-class universities and military installations, would further strengthen our national security," said Sinema, co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Space Force Caucus.

Sinema highlighted Arizona's unique climate--which has already drawn numerous defense and aerospace companies that include Raytheon, Honeywell, Boeing, General Dynamics, and L3 Harris--and Arizona's robust 55,000 work force in the aerospace and defense industries, which would prove vital for SPACECOM's future success by allowing close coordination with the United States' newest military service.

The Phoenix Metropolitan Area is home to Luke Air Force Base and South Tucson is seven miles from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Arizona State University, located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, provides access to one of the world's leading centers for observational and theoretical research in astronomy and astrophysics, while the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has been part of every major NASA mission since the Apollo Era in the 1960s. In her letter, Sinema highlighted that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Hearing that ASU and UArizona are "leading the world when it comes to university engagement with NASA." Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott Campus also includes the nation's top undergraduate aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical programs.

If Arizona is chosen, SPACECOM's headquarter installation could bring 1,400 initial jobs and money to local communities to build the new infrastructure to meet the needs of the U.S. Air Force and SPACECOM.

This month, Sinema launched the bipartisan U.S. Senate Space Force Caucus, which seeks to support the sixth branch of the U.S. military.

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