Heinrich Statement On U.S. Space Command Location Decision

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Air Force’s announcement today to base the new U.S. Space Command headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama:

“To rush such a large and consequential basing decision, mere days before the end of the Trump administration, should rightly lead to serious questions of political impropriety. After postponing the original site visit to Albuquerque last December, the Air Force evaluation team collected data on Albuquerque’s candidacy less than a week ago. I don’t see how it is possible to properly evaluate one of the Air Force’s final candidates in less than a week and come to a decision on something so important.

“I have asked the incoming Biden administration to take a close look at this process and review the merits of this decision.

“Regardless of the final basing decision for the headquarters of Space Command, I remain committed to supporting all of the core military space assets, missions, and organizations already based in New Mexico. Our state remains the nation’s premier location to build and grow organizations focused on space innovation."