U.S. Space Command Gen. Stephen Whiting said the combatant command’s first operational facility on Redstone Arsenal represents “a critical step forward” in the move of its permanent headquarters to Alabama.
Whiting and other Space Command personnel cut the ribbon on the facility on Wednesday in front community leaders and officials from other agencies stationed at the Arsenal.
“This is where we plant our flag for the first operational element of our headquarters, the Joint Intelligence Support Element here at Redstone Arsenal,” Whiting said. “Today is about the people and the mission behind it. By the end of this year, these offices will be full with an 80-person team delivering the critical intelligence that underpins our freedom of movement in the space domain.”
Whiting said the team is just the beginning of what he likes to call “our first launch.”
“A 200-plus Space Command team will be on Redstone by the end of the year,” Whiting said, echoing words he said in response to questioning by U.S. Sen Tommy Tuberville, R- Auburn, during a Senate hearing earlier this year.
Whiting said the event was the first of several ribbon cuttings on the arsenal “so we’re all going to get very good at this.” Whiting said some 1,800 military, civilian personnel and contractors will work on the arsenal once headquarters is fully operational.
Whiting said he was unsure how many will make the move from Space Command’s temporary headquarters in Colorado Springs. He said the combatant command will work to make the move of personnel to Alabama as smooth as possible but any vacancies will be filled by those in north Alabama.
Whiting said Space Command’s first facility was made available by another agency stationed on the arsenal. He said the transition team on the ground led by Maj. Gen. Terry Grisham “have done a tremendous job acquiring and renovating temporary facilities that we can move into soonest.”
Whiting also credited the command’s partnership with the FBI. He said the FBI’s experience with expansion on the arsenal had been helpful in the transition from Colorado Springs. He also credited community leaders with helping with the move, including Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, who has present at the ribbon cutting.
“It’s a great day for Huntsville,” the mayor said. “It’s a great day for the whole nation. As we sit here and put Space Command into operation, we’re finally realizing something that has been in the works for a long, long time. We’re going to have a safer country because of it.”
Whiting said in about six weeks, the senior U.S. Space Command staff, service component commanders and senior enlistment leaders will be coming to Redstone for the command’s semi-annual senior leadership planning event, “which we also call our commanders conference.”
“This will be the first time we’ve hosted this conference in the Huntsville community,” the general said. “We look forward to not only using this event to align our mission priorities and synchronize operational plans across the command but also introduce many of our command leaders to Redstone Arsenal and this wonderful community for the very first time.”
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