ALBUQUERQUE — On Wednesday afternoon, Air Force officials announced the location of the permanent headquarters for the United States Space Command. Unfortunately, New Mexico’s Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) was not chosen.
Sherman McCorkle, board member of the Kirtland Partnership Committee, told the Daily Lobo that Alabama’s Redstone Army Airfield was chosen as the site for the headquarters.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller isn’t giving up on the project, however.
“By showcasing our space technology expertise and long history of government contracting, Albuquerque made it into the small group of finalists, but it’s no surprise the outgoing administration would make a politically-motivated decision on their way out the door,’ Keller said.
Keller went on to say that he is going to join the New Mexico federal delegation to ask the incoming administration to re-evaluate the decision.
Senator Martin Heinrich said he’s not giving up on Albuquerque’s chances to bring the Space Command headquarters to KAFB.
“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,” Heinrich said. “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,”
For those in New Mexico’s aerospace industry, there is disappointment, but optimism.
“We are disappointed to hear that Albuquerque-KAFB was not selected for the U.S. Space Command headquarters location,” Casey Anglada DeRaad, CEO of New Space NM, said.
“New Mexico offered the full package of a thriving and expanding space industry, key military space organizations, two world-class national labs, protected airspace and a highly qualified workforce. However, there are more opportunities in the future,” DeRaad said.
The University of New Mexico’s STEM program shared in that optimism.
“This will not stop us from developing our aerospace industry in Albuquerque,” Christos Chistodoulou, dean of UNM’s School of Engineering, said. “Albuquerque will just not have the U.S. Space Command headquarters as a part of that industry.”
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Kirtland Air Force Base was among six locations picked as finalists for the project. Other locations included Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Port San Antonio in Texas and the aforementioned Redstone Army Airfield in Alabama.
Adam Evarts is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @adam_evarts19
