Governor Polis & Lt. Governor Primavera Joint Statement on U.S. Space Command

DENVER - Today, Governor Jared Polis and Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera released a statement following a report about a former President’s comments on the misguided and politicized decision to relocate U.S. Space Command from its home at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to a different state.

“Colorado is the natural home for Space Command. These callous comments fly in the face of Coloradans, military families, and those who have worked to cultivate our aerospace ecosystem that is suited to guarantee the operational success of U.S. Space Command and deliver the best value to taxpayers,” Gov. Polis and Lt. Governor Primavera said in a joint statement. “Keeping U.S. Space Command in Colorado means protecting our national security but it's clear that the former President - now through his own admission - made this misguided decision for political or personal purposes. Unfortunately, this poor decision could cost taxpayers billions of dollars, hurt military readiness, and would be fiscally irresponsible. We urge the federal government to truly restore integrity to the process.”

When the decision was announced one week before President Biden was sworn into office, Governor Polis and Lt. Governor Primavera called for integrity to be restored to the process and discussed how this move would upend the lives of hundreds of military and civilian families that were counting on U.S Space Command staying at home in Colorado Springs as well as harm military readiness.

There are also two investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Defense Inspector General into the propriety of the decision and the basing process. 

Last year, Governor Polis, Lt. Governor Primavera, the entire Colorado Congressional delegation, bipartisan representation from Colorado’s General Assembly, local, county and municipal leaders, heads of Colorado’s institutions of higher education and executives from economic development, as well as the aerospace, technology, and finance industries sent an open letter to the former President urging him to keep Space Command in Colorado. 

Over 30,000 Coloradans are directly employed by aerospace companies and another 200,000 fill jobs that support the aerospace industry. These workers are employed by more than 280 aerospace companies, and of those companies, nearly 64% are small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. An additional 500 Colorado companies provide space-related products and services.