$1.5B 'single facility' needed for U.S. Space Command HQ to remain in Colorado: government report

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A new government report is revealing more about the considerations around the decision to declare Colorado Springs the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command.

The report from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) also details what the Space Force has done since a previous GAO report identified operational and selection concerns with the permanent basing decision in May and June 2022.

The report highlighted the decision-making process for a major military headquarters. Ultimately, the decision made by President Biden to override the Air Force's recommendation to move to Huntsville, Alabama, was brought into question.

On July 31, 2023, President Biden decided to keep Colorado Springs as the permanent headquarters. At the time, Department of Defense (DOD) Officials said that keeping Space Command in Colorado Springs would ensure peak readiness during "a critical period."

The report states that the U.S. GAO asked for interactions between the DOD, the White House, and the Air Force, but their offices never received any.

When questioning Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall at the time, he stated he was advised President Biden would make the final decision, and that he fully supported the decision made.

The GOA said that while the office recognized the significant work that the Space Force has done since those earlier reports, the three main areas of concern that remain to be addressed include: personnel, facilities, and communications.

According to the report, one of the major concerns for Space Command Headquarters involved the facility. As it stands, Space Command Headquarters currently operates out of four different buildings in Colorado Springs.

Two of these buildings are on military installations, Peterson Space Force Base and Schriever Space Force Base. The two other buildings are in commercial districts.

According to Space Command leadership, they acknowledged to the GAO that the current command posture is "not sustainable," noting that three of the four Space Command facilities in the area are older than 40 years.

The solution? A new facility that would require a price tag of $1.5 billion for construction alone. The GAO noted this was a higher estimate from the July 2023 recommendation, not taking into account inflation or the pricing of what would be required to be put into the building.

That proposed construction would have begun in January 2029 with a completion date of January, 2034. The funding for the project has not been approved and is on hold.

Another point of concern was communications, specifically the lack of a point of presence on Peterson Space Force Base (a point or physical location where two or more networks or communication devices build a connection from one place to the rest of the internet).

While stating the concerns, Space Command leadership highlighted the extensive other benefits of being near U.S. Northern Command and other various communication networks in Colorado Springs.

Personnel concerns were also brought forward in the report. As of October 2024, Space Command had filled 1,024 of 1,379 authorized positions, including 576 of 809 government civilian positions.

Space Command states that the intended civilian personnel are supposed to be 60% of the command's personnel. But, Space Command has had issues hitting that quota, and has been relying on contractors to supplement since 2024.

One thing is for sure, the recent report has raised more discussion points about the base's future, sparking debate among lawmakers.

Representative Jeff Crank (R-Colorado Springs) announced on X that the GAO's latest report makes it "clear" that Colorado Springs should be the future of Space Command.

Throughout 2025, politicians have been debating over the command's proper location, with multiple Alabama lawmakers calling on President Trump to reverse the decision and establish Space Command at the Redstone Arsenal outside of Huntsville, Alabama.

Part of the delay in the construction of a central facility in Colorado Springs is in part due to the fact that Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama's 3rd Congressional District chairs the House Armed Services Committee.

He added a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which halted the funds for Space Command construction pending the outcome of this report, as well as a report from the Pentagon Inspector General.

___

____

Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.