By John Hyten | The Gazette, Commentary
At the Space Symposium in Colorado last month, one topic stood out: the possibility of moving Space Command out of Colorado Springs. As the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the decision to move the command to Huntsville, Ala., was made in 2021, I’m concerned that relocating Space Command would threaten our national security.
At the end of his first term, President Donald Trump decided to move Space Command to Huntsville. The decision was lawfully made, based on the results of an Air Force basing study and only constrained by lack of funding (i.e., billions never appropriated by Congress). My best military advice at the time (granted, a minority opinion) was to leave the command in Colorado due to the significant space threats emanating from China and Russia. Now, four years on, the threat environment has significantly worsened.
The threat in space is not theoretical; it is here. China has deployed new constellations of satellites that possess the capability to target our forces, especially naval forces in the Pacific.