Move of Space Command out of Colorado considered shocking

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    DENVER (KCNC) — Leaders in the metro area business community said Thursday they were shocked to learn this week that the military wanted to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama, when the Space Force was already headquartered in our state and the aerospace industry has such a prominent presence in the region.

“Well certainly the announcement was a big surprise, in almost every respect, Colorado’s aerospace economy is top of the nation,” said J. J. Ament, the CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, an industry affiliate and founding member of the Colorado Space Coalition. “Make no mistake, Colorado competes in a marketplace with other communities and other cities in the United State and around the world. ”

The CSC is made up of aerospace companies, military leaders, and academic organizations working to grow the space industry in Colorado. The trade group along with the EDC worry this decision may not have been based on merit and want to investigate what lead to the decision. Ament says they want to see transparency in the process of site selection.

“If that was overturned because of a political decision in the last hours of an administration, we think President-elect probably has a duty to review that,” he told CBS4.

While there are several communities across the U.S. that could be considered an attractive location for Space Command, Ament is confident that Colorado would still be the best choice for the military. The state is home to the second largest aerospace economy and most jobs in the industry in the nation.

“There are a number of communities around the U.S. that would love to have our talent, love to have our economic success, love to have the businesses that are located and growing here so absolutely this is a competition,” he said.

Almost $40 billion of Department of Defense spending comes to Colorado, only 3% is related to the Space Force. But the long-term impact could be significant if the 1,400 service members currently in the state for this branch of the military move with their families.

“Whenever an aerospace company is looking to expand or to relocate, we are always top of the list because we have the talent needed to support those company’s expansions,” Ament added.

He even says former members of the military not living in Colorado acknowledged they thought Colorado Springs was the consensus choice for Space Command. But he’s not worried about it affecting the reputation of the industry locally and the ability to attract more companies to come here. While they wait for a new administration and for the process to move forward, including pending approvals from the government, local and state leaders are already looking into how they can reverse this decision.

“I think the work is already being done,” Ament said. “I think this surprised both the public and private sectors again, because Colorado is the natural choice and is the current home of Space Command.”

The focus for now is to make sure there isn’t a threat to national security and that Colorado remains an asset to this branch and the U.S. Air Force already located here.

“It’s not something that we’re concerned about now,” he said. “We’re most concerned about making sure we meet the mission of our military.”

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