Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle used breaking defense news today to make the case to security experts that America’s new U.S. Space Command should be located in his city.
“No one does space and defense better than the brainpower on Redstone Arsenal. The world’s most advanced capabilities in aerospace, space and missile defense, and space exploration are already here,” Battle said to members of the American Society for Industrial Security.
The new military command officially “stood up” or went active in August at a White House ceremony. It is temporarily based in Colorado, which is vying with Alabama and California for the permanent headquarters.
“Huntsville has been on the forefront of space since the beginning,” Battle said. “We’ve become the nation’s epicenter for rocket engines, cyber security, and soon – hypersonics. This makes us uniquely positioned to protect our assets and interests in space from growing threats by unscrupulous enemies.”
The hypersonics comment was a reference to Lockheed Martin’s announcement today that it will locate its hypersonic defense programs in Huntsville and nearby Courtland, Ala. The company will build and test hypersonic weapons and defenses in Courtland with engineering and technical support in Huntsville.
“The infrastructure, talent, and space defense ecosystem is already here,” Battle told the security experts. “Huntsville and Redstone offer a cost-efficient and effective environment to protect critical space assets.
“We encourage our leadership in Washington to make the smart choice, the right choice, and place the U.S. Space Command where it belongs – on Redstone Arsenal,” Battle said.
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