BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt and Terri Sewell have released the following statement in support of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the preferred location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

“There is no better place for our nation’s Space Command headquarters than the Rocket City. Huntsville is the world’s premier hub for space exploration and innovation, and we resoundingly support the 2021 decision to locate it there. We stand by the Air Force’s decision that Huntsville is the best and only home for U.S. Space Command. We look forward to reviewing the Government Accountability Office’s report and remain confident that an objective analysis of the facts will yield the same conclusion.”

Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama was chosen by the U.S. Air Force as the permanent home of Space Command, following a fulsome and transparent site selection process. Congressional colleagues from locations that lost the competition requested two government agencies, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, investigate the U.S. Air Force’s basing process.

The GAO allows original requesters to review the draft prior to its public release, but typically requests such preliminary reviews to be kept confidential as the draft reports are often reviewed by additional entities; in this case, the draft report is still under review by the U.S. Air Force and the Secretary of Defense. However, after receiving their verbal briefing from the GAO, the original requesters released their assessments to media in a joint press release.

In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 8th, General James H. Dickinson, Commander of U.S. Space Command, was asked if a move of Space Command away from its temporary home might result in operational disruptions or delays to the mission. In response, the General stated, “I would say we are a couple or three years away from full operational capability … wherever I’m located.”