Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General’s Office released its findings from a review conducted to investigate the process that was undertaken to select Huntsville as the preferred permanent location of U.S. Space Command.
The report concluded that the process by which Redstone Arsenal was chosen as the combatant command’s next headquarters was conducted in a “reasonable” manner and complied with the law.
The department’s assessment comes as Colorado lawmakers are challenging the previous administration’s decision to relocate Space Command headquarters from Peterson Space Force Base to Alabama’s Rocket City.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is soon expected to release its own review of the decision. Additionally, an environmental impact study must be completed before the relocation of Space Command to Alabama becomes official.
Reacting to the report’s findings Wednesday was Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, chair of the Alabama Military Stability Commission, who praised the work of state lawmakers in passing legislation that has made the Yellowhammer State attractive to military families.
“For the past several years, the Alabama Military Stability Commission has worked hard to make our state the nation’s friendliest and most welcoming for active and retired military families alike,” stated Ainsworth. “From professional licensing reciprocity to school choice options to access to well-paying, long-lasting 21st Century jobs, Alabama is continuing to fill the needs of service members and their dependents.”
Created by an act of the legislature in 2011, the Alabama Military Stability Commission is charged with developing and promoting legislation that serves to assist the state in retaining and expanding its federal military footprint.
The commission has offered a bill package each year of its existence, with its legislative agenda passing annually without opposition.
In March, Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a series of bills passed during the 2022 regular legislative session which she asserted served to enhance Alabama’s standing as “the most pro-military state in the nation.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
