U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has issued a statement in support of the U.S. Air Force’s decision to permanently base the U.S. Space Command Headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The announcement was made during an event at the White House attended by President Donald J. Trump, Senator Britt, and other members of Alabama’s congressional delegation.
“As I have long stated, locating the permanent Space Command headquarters at Redstone Arsenal is in the best national security interest of the United States. In 2021, the Air Force made a decision to choose Redstone as the preferred basing location purely on merits, as Huntsville finished first in both the Air Force’s Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase. To the detriment of U.S. national security, President Biden chose to undermine the integrity of the process and put politics ahead of merit by yanking this military decision out of the Air Force’s hands,” said Senator Britt.
“I’m deeply grateful to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for their commitment to keep politics out of this basing decision and allow the Air Force to proceed with doing its job. Alabama’s world-class aerospace and defense workforce, capabilities, and synergies stand ready to fulfill the mission and strengthen our national security long into the future,” she added. “I’m proud that Alabama’s congressional delegation – working tirelessly together on a bipartisan basis – has won this fight on behalf of our great state and America’s national security interests.”
Since taking office, Senator Britt has joined with other members of Alabama’s congressional delegation in advocating for honoring a January 13, 2021 announcement from the U.S. Air Force naming Huntsville as its preferred site among six candidates for Space Command headquarters.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released in May 2022 found that Redstone Arsenal ranked highest during both evaluation phases conducted by the Air Force when considering locations for Space Command headquarters.
The GAO report noted: “Air Force officials, including the then Secretary of the Air Force, stated that the decision to identify Redstone Arsenal as the preferred location stemmed from Air Force analysis showing it was the strongest candidate location.”
Another GAO report published in May 2025 described how between May 2022 and June 2023, under further review by Air Force leadership during President Biden’s administration, Redstone Arsenal was again confirmed as its preferred site.
Despite these findings, on July 31, 2023 President Biden blocked finalization of Redstone Arsenal as Space Command’s permanent home—a move Senator Britt criticized as prioritizing political considerations over national security needs.
Senator Britt also discussed this issue directly with former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a Senate Appropriations hearing and met with General James H. Dickinson—then Commander of U.S. Space Command—to emphasize keeping politics out of such decisions.
In March 2024 legislation funding Military Construction and Veterans Affairs agencies included language secured by Senator Britt requiring a report from the Secretary of the Air Force detailing expenditures related to construction or improvements for Space Command Headquarters within ninety days after enactment.
Earlier this year Senators Britt and Tommy Tuberville introduced a resolution recognizing four years since Huntsville was selected as preferred site for Space Command HQ by merit-based assessment.
Senator Britt has spoken personally with President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and Air Force Secretary Meink about restoring merit-based selection for Redstone Arsenal.
