U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a full committee hearing on the Biden administration's political manipulation of the permanent basing process for U.S. Space Command.
Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery:
Today we will examine the striking irregularities in the Biden Administration's handing of United States Space Command (SPACECOM) Headquarters.
I want to thank the witnesses for being here and for their service to our nation.
Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has chosen to play politics with our national security.
After a long and competitive national process Huntsville, Alabama, was selected as the best location to host United States Space Command or SPACECOM.
Huntsville beat out, in order:
Albuquerque, New Mexico;
Bellevue, Nebraska;
San Antonio, Texas; and
In fifth place, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Huntsville, Alabama was selected to host SPACECOM….permanently.
Since the end of that competition, which was validated by both the GAO and the Biden DoD IG, individuals within the Air Force and the Biden Administration have attempted to circumvent the results and place SPACECOM in Colorado Springs in the name of "readiness".
Let me be clear: This is not, and has never been, about readiness.
General Saltzman, the general officer with day-to-day responsibility for the readiness of more than 90% of SPACECOM's assigned forces, says "it is my belief that the permanent location of USSPACECOM headquarters will not impact the readiness of U.S. Space Force forces."
General Dickinson has stated that Colorado Springs is the "unmatched" choice for recruiting civilians to work at SPACECOM. Yet, he's currently using over 360 contractors to fill civilian staffing shortfalls.
Secretary Kendall's remarks highlight another issue for this Administration's paper-thin readiness argument.
According to Air Force documentation transmitted to this Committee just two days ago, Colorado Springs is projected to cost $426 million dollars more than Huntsville, Alabama over for headquarters operations the next 15 years.
That's $426 million dollars, at least, of weapons procurement, research and development, or maintenance for the rest of DoD that this Administration has decided to spend on their political manipulation.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in readiness lost just so the President can try to endear himself to a purple state prior to next year's election.
These most recent developments are just the latest in a string of delays and fuzzy math with one goal: White-wash this Administration's decision to disregard the outcome of a competitive and deliberate selection process that Alabama won.
The Alabama delegation and members of this committee have conducted long-term bipartisan oversight of the SPACECOM basing process.
What we've found is alarming.
Not only has the Biden Administration dumped millions into making Colorado look competitive using the "provisional headquarters", they appear to have spent even more to legitimize those efforts.
This year, I have demanded documentation and copies of DOD records to account for what has played out in the Pentagon and Colorado Springs.
They show that SPACECOM has already spent over $127 million dollars in Colorado.
Including tens of millions of dollars to put up to 800 of our most critical space warfighting decisionmakers in an abandoned, 41-year-old factory.
Not on a military base, but nine and a half miles away from the base.
Not in a secure area.
An industrial building next to a middle school, around the corner from an apartment complex, and across the street from a neighborhood.
This LEASED space had no proper fence, obsolete security systems, and inadequate facilities to handle the highly classified systems our space capabilities rely on.
Documents obtained by the committee show that Colorado Springs is out of space and out of infrastructure despite this spending spree.
Sensitive equipment is running in buildings without proper backup power and there is already a massive office space shortfall on the bases in Colorado Springs area.
On July 31st, President Biden decided that SPACECOM should no longer move to Huntsville, Alabama and would instead remain at its temporary location in Colorado Springs.
The limited documentation provided to the Committee doesn't shed much light on why the President picked a location with 30% higher construction cost factors to build an enormous new headquarters building.
But I think the members of this Committee know why.
This Administration has conveniently ignored the fact that the units providing nearly all of SPACECOM's operational forces are not and were never planned to move anywhere regardless of the SPACECOM headquarters decision.
They also ignore the fact that SPACECOM's functions have already moved once: From Nebraska to Colorado when responsibilities were split out from STRATCOM, without problem.
There is no justification for these actions except political considerations.
It is indefensible to turn the fifth-place finisher into the winner of this basing competition.
Finally, there's the elephant in the room.
The Chinese aren't sitting still.
This committee has heard time and again that Xi Jinping wants his military ready to forcibly overthrow the government of Taiwan by 2027.
Secretary Kendall and General Dickinson are sure to raise this point today as a reason to "stay the course" in Colorado.
That is a rhetorical game.
If there is war in 2027, General Dickinson's successor will likely fight it from the same temporary headquarters he has today.
This provisional headquarters is and will remain fully capable for the next eight years under existing leases.
Everyone in this room knows that.
The construction of a new permanent headquarters in Alabama will have no impact on the provisional headquarters operational readiness.
We had a nationwide competition to determine the best site for a permanent SPACECOM headquarters.
Both the last Air Force secretary and the current Air Force secretary have concurred with and supported the competition results that Huntsville, Alabama is the best location for this permanent headquarters.
We need to demonstrate to the American people that preparedness and not politics determines important investments like this, and call for the competition results to be honored.
