Tuberville on Space Command Environmental Impact Study

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) made the following statement after the U.S. Air Force released the results of their draft Environmental Impact Study with a finding of "no significant impact" for basing U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama:

"This is a welcomed result, but it's not surprising. Redstone Arsenal's existing federal footprint and Huntsville's robust defense industry make this area the ideal home for Space Command. I look forward to the conclusion of the comment period and doing what I can to support Space Command as it makes Huntsville its new home."

BACKGROUND:

In 2020, the U.S. Air Force conducted an extensive search for the best location for the new home of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), reviewing objective criteria like infrastructure, costs, mission capability, and the quality of the local community. Sixty-six different locations in twenty-six states were evaluated, and in the end, Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama ranked number one.

At the request of other lawmakers, the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) both conducted investigations into U.S. Air Force's site selection process for SPACECOM headquarters.

Following the release of the IG's report, which concluded that the U.S. Air Force followed a legal, fair, and logical process, Senator Tuberville praised the findings of the report as "rock solid." The IG report said, in part, "Overall, we determined that the 2020 Basing Action directed by the SECDEF complied with Federal Law and DoD policy and that the Basing Action process was reasonable." After his office was briefed on the GAO report, which had similar findings to the IG report, Senator Tuberville issued a video statement in which he said, "it's time to fully embrace the Air Force's decision and move forward together. The U.S. Air Force needs and deserves our full support."

In recent months, Senator Tuberville has led the charge in the U.S. Senate to rally his colleagues around the U.S. Air Force's decision to base SPACECOM headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. After both reports were released, Senator Tuberville sent a letter to his colleagues outlining the findings and how politically-motivated delays negatively impact the nation's readiness.

In June 2022, as the Senate Armed Services Committee considered the Senate version of Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (FY23 NDAA), Senator Tuberville successfully thwarted an attempt to delay and potentially reverse the process of locating SPACECOM at Redstone Arsenal. The senator led a bipartisan group of senators to defeat an amendment that would have required another lengthy study of the U.S. Air Force's basing decision. This follows the remarks of General James H. Dickinson, Commander of U.S. Space Command, who debunked the idea that moving Space Command would delay readiness during a March 8, 2022, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. In his testimony, General Dickinson assured the committee that Space Command would be fully operational in two to three years, regardless of where it is ultimately located.

Source