WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Command is beginning a phased move to Alabama while laying the groundwork for a permanent headquarters expected to be completed by 2031, according to testimony from its top commander.
Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, told lawmakers March 26 that the command plans to break ground on its new headquarters in Huntsville while starting near-term operations out of existing facilities at Redstone Arsenal.
The first step is a secure facility that will allow personnel to begin classified work on site. Whiting said the command expects an April ribbon-cutting for a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, with capacity for more than 80 personnel. The command will begin shifting staff there soon after.
The strategy to move in stages rather than wait for a purpose-built headquarters. Whiting said about 200 personnel are expected to be working from Redstone by the end of the year, even as construction on the permanent facility ramps up.
The plan was laid out during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, where Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) pressed Whiting for details on the relocation. The Trump administration designated Huntsville as the permanent headquarters site in September, reversing a 2023 decision to keep the command in Colorado Springs.
Tuberville noted that March 26 marked the deadline for naming a “military construction agent”—the organization responsible for managing design and construction of the headquarters project.
Whiting said the Pentagon is close to a decision. His office is in “final discussions with elements of the United States Air Force, and the Army Corps of Engineers to pull together what the team of that construction agent will look like.”
Selecting that agent is a prerequisite for issuing contracts and moving into full construction.
Whiting said the timeline has accelerated in part because of language included in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The provisions allow early design and planning work to proceed and give the Pentagon more flexibility to fund the project over multiple years, while supporting a phased relocation.
Space Command, responsible for coordinating military operations in space, is expected to maintain continuous mission coverage during the transition. It has a workforce of roughly 1,400 military and civilian personnel.
The command is using a mix of incentives to stabilize its workforce. Whiting said the command is offering relocation incentives to personnel in Colorado to encourage moves to Alabama, while also providing retention incentives to civilian employees who remain in Colorado Springs during the transition.
“We are offering relocation incentives for our workforce in Colorado to consider moving to Alabama,” Whiting said.
At the same time, he added, “in order to preserve mission continuity in Colorado we have offered retention incentives for the civilian workforce to maintain operational readiness.”
As functions shift to Redstone Arsenal, the government will cover moving costs and continue offering incentives aimed at keeping personnel with the command.