Peterson AFB will be temporary home for U.S. Space Command

U.S. Space Command will be operating again out of Peterson Air Force Base at the end of August; USSPACECOM is being re-established more than a decade after it was merged with U.S. Strategic Command.

Congressman Doug Lamborn confirmed the news Wednesday. It’s temporary for now, but Congressman Doug Lamborn hopes this is the first step in permanently locating Space Command in Colorado Springs. The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act ordered the reestablishment of U.S. Space Command, but Congress still needs to approve making it a “full unified combatant command.”

The finalists in the running to be the permanent home for USSPACECOM are Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Schriever AFB, Buckley AFB, Vandenberg AFB, Redstone Arsenal, and Peterson.

According to a spokesperson for Lamborn’s office, even if Space Command is moved somewhere else, it could take at least a year to build facilities and get its permanent home ready to stand up. Peterson already has many of the facilities needed for Space Command.

Lamborn’s office says at least 100 new personnel will be relocated, along with additional support staff and their families. If Peterson is named the finalist, private sector jobs are also expected to increase as contracted companies move closer to Space Command operations.

USSPACECOM was established in 1985 and commands space forces in the Air Force, Army, and Navy; however, it’s not related to President Donald Trump’s announced Space Force.

Gen. John William Raymond is the nominee to head U.S. Space Command; he’s currently the commander of Air Force Space Command.