Photography courtesy of the U.S. Air Force
1st Space Operations Squadron Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness and Space Based Space Surveillance crews operate satellite vehicles on the combined operations floor at Schriever Air Force Base, in Colorado. The United States Space Command is temporarily headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with personnel and functions at Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever AFB, Colorado, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, and Vandenberg AFB, California.
In May, the United States Air Force sent a letter to the nation's governors announcing that the country's Space Command was searching for a permanent home. The military branch asked communities to self-nominate if they would like to be considered as a location for the headquarters. The Space Command is temporarily headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On Tuesday, the St. Louis Business Journal reported that St. Louis Development Corp. Executive Director Otis Williams said that St. Louis had put in a bid and advanced past the first round of the selection process.
According to the Air Force, the location will be selected in early 2021, and the headquarters will employ about 1,400 military and civilian personnel once it's up and running. A city must meet three requirements to be considered:
- It must have a population base that is within the top 150 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States
- It must have a military base within 25 miles
- It must have a Livability Index score of 50 points out of 100 or higher as determined by the American Association of Retired Persons Public Policy Institute
The United States Space Command was activated on August 29, 2019, by President Donald Trump to defend the country's interests in space. It is commanded by General John “Jay” Raymond. It has four focus areas: to deter aggression; to defeat our nation's enemies through posture and preparedness; to deliver space combat power; and to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.
According to the Business Journal, Williams was unsure of how many cities remained in the competition and didn't give specifics on where the 460,000-square-foot office might be built if St. Louis is chosen.
St. Louis is already the site of the future home of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Western headquarters. The NGA broke ground on the $1.7 billion complex in North City last November.
