[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 83 (Wednesday, May 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1692-S1693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           U.S. Space Command

  Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, the Space Command has been in the 
news lately. A final decision may be forthcoming soon, but the reported 
rationale behind that decision is misguided. There are rumors out there 
that ignore the fact that this basing process is about a variety of 
issues. But, really, there is only be about one thing: What is in the 
best interest of our national security?
  The reports focus on the draconian laws of Alabama and Senator 
Tuberville's decision to bar military promotions. I have always been a 
strong advocate for reproductive rights, especially among 
servicemembers, and I vehemently disagree with Senator Tuberville and 
his decision to hold nearly 200 general and flag officer nominations 
hostage, a hold that directly affects military readiness.
  These nominees are waiting to take their new commands, move their 
families, and carry out their missions that they were trained to lead. 
They need to sell and leave the homes they are in. They can't buy new 
homes. They can't do anything until their promotions are confirmed.
  These are important issues, but we can't conflate these issues with 
the Space Command for the simple reason that our military should never 
be politicized. Senator Tuberville wants to make this about politics. 
Senator Bennet and I want to make it about national security.
  And space capabilities are absolutely essential to our national 
security. Whether you are talking about GPS for ground-based operations 
or secure communications systems for maritime navigation, every single 
domain in which the United States acts in the name of national defense, 
be it on land, air, cyber or maritime--you name it--depends on our 
ability to operate in space.
  The entity responsible for coordinating these operations is U.S. 
Space Command, which was first established in Colorado Springs back in 
1985 and formally stood up as a full combatant command in 2019.
  Over the past 3\1/2\ years, the brilliant team at Space Command 
headquarters in Colorado have set the standard for U.S. expertise in 
space. They are building out our understanding of the global threat 
landscape, investing in our response capabilities, and hitting keen 
readiness milestones, including reaching initial operating capability 
back in August of 2021.
  This April, Space Command took another giant step forward when 
General Dickinson, who is in charge of leading these efforts, announced 
that U.S. Space Command will reach full operational capability by the 
end of the year at its current location in Colorado Springs--full 
operational capability. In other words, Space Command is on the verge 
of achieving full mission readiness in record time. That is an 
incredible achievement, and full credit goes to General Dickinson and 
the men and women on the frontlines of U.S. space leadership.
  General Dickinson's announcement underscores just how dangerous it 
would be to rubberstamp former President Trump's reckless political 
decision to move Space Command from its current location in Colorado. 
Moving headquarters requires that we build new facilities, install 
secure communications infrastructure, and relocate or rehire our 
existing workforce.
  Congress has never received an estimate for how much this would cost, 
even before factoring in the impact on national security. That is 
neither efficient nor strategic. It would take years--years--to 
replicate the milestone of full operational capability, and every 
single member of this body knows that we simply don't have that luxury.
  We don't have that kind of time. We don't have years while Russia is 
waging a brutal and ruthless war in Ukraine. We don't have years while 
China is developing advanced hypersonic weapons and threatening to 
invade Taiwan. We don't have years while Iran and North Korea are 
attempting to undermine our cyber security.
  Right now, the United States is being challenged from every angle. 
Now is not the time to tie our hands and announce to our rivals that we 
are intentionally stepping back from being fully operational in space. 
It is not the time to announce to the world that we will let partisan 
politics interfere with our military decision making.
  The arrival of U.S. Space Command on the cusp of reaching full 
operational capability in Colorado Springs should be received by the 
entire Senate as a remarkable achievement, one that strengthens our 
national security and one that expands our military might.
  Space command's formal establishment as a full combatant command in 
2019 came not a moment too soon. Just over 2 years later, Russia 
conducted a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons test, which created 
thousands of pieces of debris that Space Command has been tracking ever 
since.
  A few months later, information gathered by U.S. satellites helped 
the intelligence community to sound the alarm as Putin was amassing 
thousands of troops on Russia's border with Ukraine.

[[Page S1693]]

  Satellites have spotted the massive construction of suspected nuclear 
missile silos by China's People's Liberation Army, as well as the 
illegal buildup of PLA bases in the South China Sea--a brazen breach of 
international law and proof positive that the CCP's threat to Taiwan is 
real.
  Satellites directly facilitate our communications, our critical 
infrastructure, navigation and banking systems, as well as countless 
other technologies that we use every single day without even thinking 
twice. There is no question that President Trump's decision to move 
Space Command to Alabama was political--no question. Don't take my word 
for it. President Trump said so himself on live radio.

  Take it from Republican Mayor John Suthers, the former Republican 
attorney general of the State of Colorado who personally heard Trump 
say, in the presence of a four-star general, that he wanted to see how 
the 2020 election turned out before making a final decision on the 
location of Space Command.
  That is politics interfering with military decisions.
  Take it from our senior military leaders whose best professional 
judgment led them to all recommend Colorado. Colorado Springs is the 
best place for Space Command because it is already at work here with 
tangible results about which all of us should be proud.
  We shouldn't risk our national security. We should keep Space Command 
in Colorado Springs where it belongs.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.