It’s official: Space Command will remain in Colorado permanently

On July 31, Colorado’s Congressional delegation began spreading the word that United States Space Command (USSC), which has been located in Colorado Springs on a temporary basis since it was brought back in 2019, after having been eliminated in 2002, is going to stay put at Peterson Space Force Base (SFB) in Colorado Springs.

The stated mission of USSC is, “Working with Allies and Partners, plans, executes, and integrates military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression, defend national interests, and when necessary, defeat threats.”

The decision to choose Peterson SFB as USSC’s permanent home had been widely expected back in 2020 before a surprise an nouncement on January 13, 2021 that USSC would be relocated to the Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama. When it was revealed that the decision to move USSC to Alabama had been made by outgoing President Donald Trump, rather than military leaders, many in Colorado, including elected representatives in Washington D.C., questioned how the decision had been made.

It didn’t help that an 89-page report by the General Accounting Office, finally released on June 2, 2022, said that the GAO had found that, “From December 2018 through early March 2020, the Air Force largely followed its established strategic basing process to determine the preferred location for U.S. Space Command headquarters,” but that, “From early March 2020 through January 2021, the Air Force implemented a revised, threephased process at the direction of the then Secretary of

Defense, culminating in the selection of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama as the preferred location.” GAO also found that the revised process “fully or substantially met (only) 7 of 21 Analysis of Alternatives best practices,” that it assessed.

There was also a 120page report of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Pentagon, released on May 11, 2022 that said it “could not verify the accuracy of the rankings of the six candidate locations (including Peterson SFB) due to the lack of documentation,” leading to the decision to choose Alabama over Colorado.

Speculation continued until last week when it was announced that President Biden had made a final decision to keep USSC at Peterson SFB in Colorado Springs. It was widely reported that the President’s decision was most highly influenced by General James Dickinson, who heads up Space Command, and told the President that relocating the operation would jeopardize military readiness because of the years it would take to effect the relocation.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the Pentagon, said, “Locating Headquarters U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs ultimately ensures peak readiness in the space domain for our nation during a critical period. It will also enable the command to most effectively plan, execute and integrate military space power into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression and defend national interests.” fmiklin.villager@gmail. com

Just as Colorado officials suspected politics had a role in the 2021 decision, Alabama officials cried foul with similar accusations after this announcement. Nevertheless, it appears that the decision is a final one.

CFRW District VI Director Evie Ashmore, keynote speaker Colorado State Representative and Assistant Minority Leader Rose Pugliese (HD 14), CFRW District IV Director Judy Allen Photos by

Colorado Federation of Republican Women hosts annual meeting of Districts IV and VI

Three Colorado Republican Women’s clubs presented the annual meeting of two districts of Colorado Federation of Republican Women (CFRW) - Cherry Creek Republican Women (CCRW), Douglas County Republican Women (DCRW) and Elbert County Republican women (ECRW) with annual reports from each club, Republican resources and great door prizes. Members of local clubs (some enjoy membership in multiple clubs) throughout Colo- rado are automatically members of CFRW as well as the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW).

Keynote speaker was Assistant Minority Leader (elected unanimously by the Republican House caucus in 2022) Colorado State Representative (HD 14) Rose Pugliese. She represents northern Colorado Springs and previously served two terms as a Mesa County Commissioner and in 2019 was awarded one of Denver Business Journal’s “Top Women in Energy.” She admits to attending a CFRW meeting in 2008 and never leaving. She shared her experience of the last legislative session with the Mighty 19 Republicans vs. 46 Democrats where traditional rules were dispensed with. Her message was extensive about Proposition HH which will be on the ballot in November and emphasized that Coloradoans need to pay attention and be educated.

“We need real common sense language for HH,” she said. “Silencing the people we represent is not democracy. Property tax does not affect the state budget. There is more money in the Col- orado budget than ever!”

ECRW sponsors an annual patriotic essay contest. Winner in the Middle School category was fiery redhead Ryann Swan. Age wise, she would be considered an eighth grader. However, she is proudly home schooled at what she affectionately calls “Swan Academy” and is a ninth grader – so wise beyond her years. She delivered her powerful essay titled “A Republic for America – If We Can Keep It.” (Borrowing from a famous quote by Ben Franklin.) Like Rose Pugliese, Ryann’s essay stressed the importance of citizens’ understanding and education in the politics of American values and government structures and appreciation of freedoms - especially her own generation valuing the Tenth Amendment. All Americans should hear her brilliant composition!

CFRW President Barbara Piper announced the state convention will be October 27-29 at Embassy Suites in Loveland hosted by Larimer County Republican Women. Saturday night’s keynote speaker is Debbie Georgatos of Dallas who is a pro-America woman’s voice on Salem Radio.