119-sres23

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 23 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 23

Recognizing the 4th anniversary of the Trump administration's Secretary 
of the Air Force announcing Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as 
 the preferred location for United States Space Command Headquarters.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 January 13, 2025

 Mr. Tuberville (for himself and Mrs. Britt) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 4th anniversary of the Trump administration's Secretary 
of the Air Force announcing Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as 
 the preferred location for United States Space Command Headquarters.

Whereas, on January 13, 2021, the United States Air Force announced Redstone 
 Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred location for United 
 States Space Command Headquarters;
Whereas January 13, 2025, marks the 4th anniversary of this decision being 
 announced during the first Presidential administration of Donald J. 
 Trump;
Whereas President Donald J. Trump directed the Secretary of Defense to 
 reestablish United States Space Command as a unified combatant command 
 on December 18, 2018;
Whereas, as a result of President Donald J. Trump's direction, the Secretary of 
 Defense directed the United States Air Force Basing Office to initiate a 
 basing action for the preferred permanent location of United States 
 Space Command headquarters, hereafter referred to as the ``2019 Basing 
 Action'';
Whereas the Secretary of the Air Force signed a memorandum approving a 
 provisional headquarters pending the selection of a preferred permanent 
 location for United States Space Command on January 15, 2020;
Whereas, on April 15, 2019, the Secretary of the Air Force was given the 
 authority to make a decision on the preferred permanent location for 
 United States Space Command Headquarters;
Whereas, as a further result of President Trump's direction, the Secretary of 
 Defense reestablished United States Space Command as a unified combatant 
 command on August 29, 2019;
Whereas, as a result of concerns expressed by Congress regarding the 2019 Basing 
 Action, the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force met to 
 discuss a modified basing action and approved the 2020 Basing Action, 
 hereafter referred to as the ``Strategic Basing Action'', on April 27, 
 2020;
Whereas the approved Strategic Basing Action contained three phases and was 
 initiated on May 14, 2020, starting with the Self Nomination Phase and 
 the solicitation of proposals from military installations interested in 
 hosting United States Space Command Headquarters;
Whereas, during the Self Nomination Phase, 66 candidate locations in 26 States 
 were nominated and the Air Force Basing Office determined 50 locations 
 met the initial nomination criteria;
Whereas the second Strategic Basing Action phase, hereafter referred to as the 
 ``Evaluation Phase'', began on July 23, 2020, and assessed each of the 
 50 locations on four evaluation factors ``Mission'', ``Capacity'', 
 ``Community'', and ``Costs to the Department of Defense'', with 21 
 criteria between the factors;
Whereas the Evaluation Phase concluded on November 18, 2020, and the United 
 States Air Force publicly announced six finalists to advance to the 
 third phase of the Strategic Basing Action on November 19, 2020, ranked 
 in the following order:

    (1) Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

    (2) Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska.

    (3) Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

    (4) Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

    (5) Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    (6) Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Whereas the 2022 Department of Defense Inspector General report titled 
 ``Evaluation of the Air Force Selection Process for the Permanent 
 Location of the U.S. Space Command Headquarters'' found that there was a 
 large break in qualification that occurred after the top two locations 
 during the Evaluation Phase;
Whereas the third phase of the Strategic Basing Action, hereafter referred to as 
 the ``Selection Phase'', was conducted from December 4, 2020, through 
 January 7, 2021;
Whereas the findings of the Selection Phase resulted in the six finalists from 
 the Evaluation Phase being ranked in the following order:

    (1) Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

    (2) Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    (3) Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska.

    (4) Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

    (5) Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

    (6) Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Whereas the Strategic Basing Action found that Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, 
 Alabama, consistently ranked as the top location throughout the process 
 and compared more favorably across the 4 key factors and 21 criteria 
 than any other finalist location;
Whereas the Strategic Basing Action found that Huntsville, more so than any 
 other finalist location, provided a large, qualified workforce, quality 
 schools, superior infrastructure, and low initial and recurring costs to 
 the Department of Defense;
Whereas the aforementioned points proved that Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, 
 Alabama, was and remains to be, the best location for United States 
 Space Command Headquarters and informed the decision of the United 
 States Air Force selecting the site as the preferred location on January 
 13, 2021;
Whereas the findings of the Strategic Basing Action have been supported by 
 reports following subsequent Department of Defense Inspector General and 
 Government Accountability Office investigations; and
Whereas, despite an extensive process determining that Redstone Arsenal in 
 Huntsville, Alabama, was the best possible location for United States 
 Space Command, on July 31, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden and his 
 Presidential administration chose to disregard the findings of the 
 Strategic Basing Action and announced the intention to locate the 
 headquarters at the fifth best location, Colorado Springs, Colorado: 
 Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes that the United States Air Force's Strategic 
 Basing Action process complied with law and policy and was 
 justified in identifying Huntsville as the preferred permanent 
 location for United States Space Command Headquarters;

    (2) strongly commends President Donald J. Trump and his 
 first Presidential administration for completing a robust and 
 fact-based Strategic Basing Action focused on what was best to 
 ensure the national security and fiscal responsibility of the 
 United States and well-being of service members and their 
 families;

    (3) strongly condemns President Joseph R. Biden and his 
 Presidential administration for disregarding the findings of 
 the Strategic Basing Action and allowing United States Space 
 Command Headquarters to be based at the fifth best location; 
 and

    (4) encourages President Donald J. Trump and his incoming 
 second Presidential administration to halt the Biden 
 administration's disastrous decision and immediately proceed in 
 establishing a permanent headquarters for United States Space 
 Command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
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