WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trump's administration will announce on Tuesday that U.S. Space Command will be located in Alabama, reversinga Biden-era decisionto keep it at its temporary headquarters in Colorado, according to two people familiar with the announcement. Trump is expected to speak Tuesday afternoon, and he will give the new location, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to confirm the plans ahead of the official announcement. A Pentagon website set up to livestream the remarks describes the event as a "U.S. Space Command HQ Announcement." "The president will be making an exciting announcement related to the Department of Defense," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Space Command's functions include conducting operations like enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches. Alabama and Colorado havelong battled to claim Space Commandbecause it has significant implications for the local economy. The site also has been a political prize, with elected officials from both Alabama and Colorado asserting their state is the better location. Huntsville, Alabama, nicknamedRocket City, has long been home to the Army's Redstone Arsenal and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Army's Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville, which drew its nickname because of its role in building the first rockets for the U.S. space program. The announcement caps a four-year back-and-forth on the location of Space Command. The Air Force in 2021 identified Army Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville asthe preferred locationfor the new U.S. Space Command. The city was picked after site visits to six states that compared factors such as infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Defense Department. Then-President Joe Biden in 2023 announced Space Command would bepermanently locatedin Colorado Springs, Colorado, which had been serving as its temporary headquarters. Biden's Democratic administration said that keeping the command in Colorado Springs would avoid a disruption in readiness. A reviewby the Defense Department inspector general was inconclusive and could not determine why Colorado was chosen over Alabama. Trump, a Republican who enjoys deep support in Alabama, had long been expected to move Space Command back to Alabama.
