Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed concern about apparent “changes” to the planned relocation of U.S. Space Command’s headquarters to Huntsville, Ala.
“These apparently sweeping unilateral changes to policies and posture seem to have been made with zero civilian oversight at the Department of Defense,” Rogers wrote in a letter announcing the investigation.
The letter was addressed to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Gen. James Dickinson, the commander of Spacecom.
According to Rogers, Kendall, who oversees Spacecom, has privately said he is not aware of any official change in relocation plans.
Rogers is seeking all documents and communications since the start of the Biden administration on Spacecom and its headquarters.
Former President Trump brought Spacecom back to life in 2019 after its discontinuation in 2002.
Trump announced a temporary headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., before shifting its location to Huntsville, also known as Rocket City for its historic role developing space rockets.
Since President Biden came into office, he has ordered reviews of the decision to relocate Spacecom after concerns were raised that politics guided Trump’s decision.
None of the reviews have found anything improper in Trump’s decision, but the Biden administration has yet to finalize plans for the relocation of Spacecom headquarters.
NBC News reported earlier this month that the plan to relocate to Huntsville might be scrapped entirely out of concerns about restrictive abortion laws in Alabama.
The delay behind the relocation has infuriated Alabama lawmakers, both in federal and state government.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said Huntsville “is the only choice for Space Command Headquarters — no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
The full story is available at digital-release.thehill.com.
