
Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, has been selected over Offutt Air Force Base and four other military bases as the "preferred" site of the future headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, the Air Force announced Wednesday.
The Air Force selected Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as its āpreferredā site for a new headquarters for U.S. Space Command ā but the boosters of Offutt Air Force Baseās bid are not giving up hope yet.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, whose district includes Offutt, called the decision āa huge disappointment.ā
āOffutt would have been an excellent host,ā he said in his own statement. āWe will examine the reasons for this decision and potentially launch an appeal.ā
āIām proud of the effort our team put forth in showcasing all that the base, the community, and our state have to offer,ā Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer said in a statement.
Redstone was chosen over Offutt as well as current or former bases in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cape Canaveral, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas, though all of the other sites were rated as āacceptableā alternatives.
All six sites were rated based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense, according to an Air Force news release.
Huntsville bills itself as āRocket City.ā Redstone is home to several Army missile commands as well as NASAās Marshall Space Flight Center. Hundreds of thousands of young people have also attended a five-day youth space camp in Huntsville at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general who now represents the Omaha area, said insiders told him Offutt offered the lowest construction costs but lacked the large space-related work force in Huntsville.
āI would love to have had the chance to build one, if they located here,ā he said.
The U.S. Space Command was established in 1985 and located in Colorado Springs, which had been a major center for Air Force space operations.
In 2002, SpaceCom was folded into the Offutt-based U.S. Strategic Command as part of a reorganization. In 2019, it once again became an independent command. Its headquarters was re-established, temporarily in Colorado Springs.
SpaceCom includes members of all service branches and is separate from the U.S. Space Force, a new service branch established in 2019.
The six finalists for the permanent SpaceCom headquarters were announced in mid-November.
Nebraska touted the stateās high-quality schools, low cost of living and strong support for the military. University of Nebraska President Ted Carter announced a space research and education alliance uniting NU with other universities in Kansas, North Dakota and Indiana.
As a pot-sweetener, the team offered $107 million in state, local and private-sector cash incentives to help build the estimated $1 billion headquarters, which will eventually employ about 1,400 people.
Offutt team members thought Colorado Springs and Omaha were the most likely choices, being the two locations that had previously hosted the command.
The sites were judged on a points system based on specific criteria. Tim Burke, immediate past chairman of the Greater Omaha Chamber, called for āfull transparencyā in the final review.
āNo question, Offutt Air Force Base is the optimum location for USSPACECOM,ā Burke said in a statement. āNebraska exceeded criteria in all categories.ā
āI look forward to seeing the objective evaluation results,ā said retired Maj. Gen. Rick Evans, who heads the University of Nebraska at Omahaās National Strategic Research Institute, a military research center.
Colorado officials suggested that politics influenced the decision. Alabama voters strongly backed President Donald Trump, who was impeached in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. Huntsville is in the district of Rep. Mo Brooks, a strong Trump supporter who spoke at the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington, just before some of those attending rioted and invaded the U.S Capitol.
Outgoing Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett made the choice on her next-to-last day on the job, and Offuttās backers expect that it will be reviewed carefully by the incoming Biden administration.
The sites also must still undergo a lengthy environmental impact analysis. Once it is complete, the Air Force expects to make a final decision where to build in the spring of 2023.
āNebraska will continue to make the case to the incoming administration for bringing USSPACECOM to the Heartland,ā Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. āWhen you look at the data and our competitive advantages, Nebraska remains the best place in the nation to locate this mission.ā
Our best Omaha staff photos of January 2021

Players gather UNO goalie Isaiah Saville before the start of their game at Baxter Arena on Wednesday, December 09, 2021. Saville has "BLM" and a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on his helmet.

Thomas Wilkins conducts the Omaha Symphony in a performance at the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021.

UNO's Claire Killianm left, tries to keep South Dakota State's Regan Nesheim from passing the ball late in the game at Baxter Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021.

A Nebraska license plate is seen covered in snow during a blizzard in Omaha on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Snow falls in front of a mural near 60th Street and Ames Avenue as a blizzard whips through Omaha on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Jon Jacobs cleans the snow off of his car in downtown Omaha as residents woke up to a blizzard warning on Friday, January 15, 2021. Jacobs works downtown.

About 50 Creighton students were moved into other campus housingĀ after a ricin scare at Davis Square apartments late Thursday.

Creighton's Shereef Mitchell takes off on a fast break as St. John's Vince Cole, left, and Greg Williams Jr. pursue in the first half on Saturday, January 09, 2021.

Creighton's Alex O'Connell gets hit by a ball as St. John's Rasheem Dunn falls over while trying to grab the loose ball in the first half on Saturday, January 09, 2021.

Seniors Aysha Ridley and Quintin Idt work during a math readiness class at Gretna High School. The class is in partnership with Metro Community College.

The front room at the Hepburn home. Megan loves using color; she thinks itās more fun for daughters Harriet and Georgie. She painted the flower picture.

Deer walk through snow at Zorinsky Lake in Omaha on Thursday, January 07, 2021.

Fog begins to lift as the downtown Omaha skyline starts to appear as viewed from the Lincoln Monument in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Monday, January 04, 2021.

Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner dunks the ball against Seton Hall'sĀ Ike Obiagu.

A snowball is thrown at a counterprotester driving by on K Street on the north side of the Nebraska State Capitol on Wednesday. Protesters had gathered to protest the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

The Holiday Lights Festivalās New Yearās Eve Fireworks Spectacular fireworks show filled the sky over downtown Omaha Thursday.
sliewer@owh.com; twitter.com/Steve Liewer