U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, the head of U.S. Space Command, declared in a headquarters town hall on Dec. 15 that the command has reached full operational capability (FOC) and become the 11th combatant command, U.S. Space Command said.
The final version of the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill, which President Biden has said he will sign, includes a provision blocking any spending in FY ‘24 on construction of a new headquarters building for U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado until the Pentagon’s inspector general completes its investigation into the recent basing decision.
President Biden in late July decided to keep Space Command in Colorado, where its interim headquarters have been located, reversing a Trump administration recommendation to base the command in Huntsville, Alabama (Defense Daily, July 31).
“Colorado was selected as the rightful home for U.S. Space Command because of our state’s extensive space and national security assets and robust aerospace economy,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said in a Dec. 15 statement. “In the face of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s saber-rattling worldwide, U.S. leadership in space is more critical than ever. Space Command is now at Full Operational Capability in Colorado Springs, and our national security is stronger as a result.”
Biden’s July announcement drew support from Colorado lawmakers, including Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Bennet and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), while House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said that “the fight is far from over” and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the Biden administration had “inserted politics” into the decision.
Space Command said on Dec. 15 that Dickinson declared FOC after the command had met criteria, including “accomplishing the Unified Command Plan mission alongside global campaigning, exercising, and responding to crises; having the right numbers of skills across the human capital; having the infrastructure needed to support command and control across mission and business functions; having the necessary command processes and functions in place; [and] being able to set the conditions and requirements for the future fight.”
The command declared initial operational capability more than two years ago on Aug. 24, 2021.
“In addition to being competitive and contested, the domain has become increasingly congested with an increase in commercial activity, and the concern of space debris, which has increased by 76 percent since 2019 to 44,600 objects,” the command said. The U.S. re-established U.S. Space Command in August 2019, about four months before the creation of U.S. Space Force.