Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, September 4, 2020

Palmdale moves to next phase of evaluation as

future home of U.S. Space Command HQ

The U.S. Air Force is formally evalu- Force to defend vital national interests expected increase in staff and their • Mission Related (40 points): As-
ating the City of Palmdale to host the and deter adversaries. families. sessment of the available qualified
future permanent headquarters for the USSPACECOM is temporarily head- • Proximity to a Military Base: Be workforce, proximity to mutually sup-
United States Space Command. quartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., within 25 miles or less of a military porting space entities, and ability of the
When fully established, the command with personnel and functions at Peter- base to ensure eligible locations can eligible locations to provide emergency
will have approximately 1,400 military son Air Force Base and Schriever AFB, support service members and their and incident response requirements,
and civilian personnel working at the Colo., Offutt AFB, Neb., and Vanden- families with key support services like and enable mobility.
headquarters. berg AFB, Calif. Lt. Gen. James H. military housing, health care, child • Infrastructure Capacity (30 points):
Palmdale has received strong support Dickinson is the commander of U.S. care, commissary, and personnel and Infrastructure requirements to include
in this effort from Los Angeles Coun- Space Command, serving as the senior logistics support. facility and parking space, communi-
ty 5th District Supervisor and Board commander of all space unified military • Livability Index: Have a Livability cations bandwidth and redundancy,
Chair Kathryn Barger, and the required forces. Index score of 50 points out of 100 or special access communications, anti-
endorsement of California Governor USSPACECOM is distinct from higher as determined by the American terrorism, force protection (AT/FP)
Gavin Newsom. and complementary to the U.S. Space Association of Retired Persons Public and security requirements, energy re-
“Los Angeles County has greatly “Edwards Air Force Base and Air Force. As an Armed Force, the U.S. Policy Institute. This criterion ensures
contributed to the advancement of the Force Plant 42 are indescribably pleased Space Force will organize, train and that eligible locations can provide a silience, and the nearest active duty
aerospace industry and space explora- to be a partner with the City of Palmdale equip space forces. As a Combatant quality of life that enables U.S. Space installation’s base operating support
tion through many institutions such as and all of our communities in the larger Command, USSPACECOM actively Command to competitively attract and to service members to include medical
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Aerospace Valley,” said Higer. “This employs assigned forces from each of retain a skilled workforce. Quality care, childcare, military housing, and
Grumman, Edwards AFB, Los Ange- community — built on the spirit of in- the military services to accomplish di- of life factors measured by the index transportation.
les AFB, NASA facilities, JPL, Cal novation — makes The Center of the rected missions in the space domain. include: housing affordability, great • Community Support (15 points):
Tech, and United States Air Force Plant Aerospace Testing Universe possible. neighborhoods, safe and convenient Support to military families as mea-
42, which have endeavored to support Our region, located in Los Angeles, The minimum eligibility require- transportation, clean air and water, sured by the quality of schools, profes-
aerospace efforts,” said Barger. “In par- San Bernardino and Kern Counties, is ments, as issued by the U.S. Air Force, quality health services, civic/social in- sional licensure portability, cost of liv-
ticular the Antelope Valley and the City home to the best and brightest air and are: volvement, and inclusive opportunities. ing, housing affordability, and access
of Palmdale have a long and impressive space leaders on the planet. Air Force • Metropolitan Statistical Areas: Be to military/veteran support programs
history of advancing a peaceful, secure, Plant 42, already a vital part of our na- within one of the 150 largest Metro- Evaluation criteria: • Costs to the Department of the
and accessible space domain.” tion’s critical defense industrial base, is politan Statistical Areas in the United Relative ability of eligible locations Air Force (15 points): One-time infra-
Additional support has been given a natural fit for Headquarters U.S. Space States, based on census bureau 2019 to support the United Space Command structure and transportations costs, area
from California’s 23rd and 25th Con- Command.” population estimates. This ensures mission. Evaluations will be scored on construction cost factor, basic housing
gressional Districts of Congressmen The City of Palmdale Mayor, city that eligible locations can support the a weighted 100 point scale. allowance rate, and area locality pay..
Kevin McCarthy and Mike Garcia, both council and staff stand united in support
expressing excitement that Palmdale is for making the Aerospace Valley home
“The Aerospace Valley has a storied Space Force or Space Command?
now among the top communities in the to the U.S. Space Command.
running.
“We proudly refer to the Antelope past of seeing the development of the U.S. Space Force is the newest branch of the U.S. At the time of its reactivation in 2019, the president
Valley as the ‘Aerospace Valley’ be- best air and space technology over our military (alongside the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. nominated Gen. John Raymond to be commander. Ray-
cause of its long and distinguished his- blue skies daily,” said Palmdale Mayor Navy and U.S. Marine Corps) and is headquartered at mond later became Chief of Space Operations for the
tory as the cradle and proving grounds Steve Hofbauer. “Presently, engineers the Pentagon. new U.S. Space Force.
of aerospace and space innovation. It is are designing the next generation of air Space Force was established in December 2019 when USSPACECOM conducts operations in, from and to
the home of generations of test pilots superiority. As we look to the future, we President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Au- space to deter conflict, and if necessary, defeat aggres-
breaking the sound barrier, astronauts believe the U.S. Space Command be- thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. On Jan. 14, 2020, sion; deliver space combat power for the Joint/Combined
testing the Lunar Landing Research longs in the Aerospace Valley.” General John Raymond was sworn in as the first Chief force, and defend U.S. vital interests with allies and part-
Vehicle, and commercial aerospace The next phase of the evaluation of Space Operations. At the time, Raymond was also ners.
companies testing privately-owned process will score communities based commander of U.S. Space Command, a position he held Colorado Springs, Colo., remains the location for the
spacecraft,” said Garcia. “Palmdale, on how they relate to the mission, infra- until Aug. 20, 2020, when Army Gen. James Dickinson provisional headquarters for U.S. Space Command until
with its vast geography to expand structure capacity, community support, became commander of USSPACECOM. a permanent headquarters location is selected and facili-
upon, its talented workforce, existing and overall costs to the Air Force. ties are ready in approximately six years. The Depart-
industry expertise and its direct access At this time, the U.S. Air Force is Space Command is a unified combatant command of ment of the Air Force anticipates selecting a preferred
to other major nodes in the space mis- not releasing the names of communi- the U.S. Department of Defense and is responsible for
sion is the most logical choice for the ties under consideration. military operations in outer space, specifically all opera- U.S. Space Command location early next calendar year.
permanent headquarters for the United “The Department of the Air Force has tions above 100 kilometers above mean sea level.
States Space Command. I am confident moved on from the nomination phase The command is the newest of 11 unified commands
that the Department of the Air Force and and has now entered the evaluation in DOD, and increases the ability of the Joint Force to
the Department of Defense will come to phase of the selection process,” said project power and influence, reduces decision timelines
the right conclusion regarding the future Sarah Fiocco, an Air Force spokesper- for space operations, and brings focused attention to de-
home of the United States Space Com- son at the Pentagon. “We do not plan to fending U.S. interests in space. Establishing USSPACE-
mand.” release additional information until after COM was a critical step in accelerating the ability of
McCarthy continued the praise for the the candidate selections in winter 2020. the joint force to defend vital national interests and deter
Aerospace Valley. “The Department then expects to adversaries.
“The Air Force is affirming what we conduct site visits prior to selecting a The command was first established in September 1985,
know to be true — our community is preferred location in early 2021,” she but inactivated in 2002. At that time, its responsibilities
a centerpiece of our nation’s space en- added. “After we announce the pre- were merged into U.S. Strategic Command. After nearly
terprise,” said McCarthy. “With the in- ferred location, we will accomplish the 17 years, Space Command was reactivated on Aug. 29,
credible innovations of our commercial Environmental Analysis before render- 2019.
space companies at the Mojave Air and ing a final decision. This could take up With its reactivation, the Air Force identified six pos-
Space Port, and countless contributions to 24 months after naming a preferred sible locations to be the future home of the command:
of the AFRL Rocket Lab, China Lake, location.” Buckley AFB, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Pe-
Edwards, NASA Armstrong and Plant terson AFB and Schriever AFB, all in Colorado; Redstone
42, there are many reasons why our re- United States Space Command is the Arsenal, Ala., and Vandenberg AFB in Calif.
gion would be a great home for Space newest of the 11 unified commands in On May 15, 2020, however, the Air Force announced DOD photograph by Lewis Carlyle
Command, something I have personally the Department of Defense. The com- they were revising their approach, releasing screening
stressed with the Trump Administration mand increases the ability of the Joint and evaluation criteria and allowing localities that met Army Gen. James Dickinson, newly appointed
commander U.S. Space Command addresses
since the founding of the U.S. Space Force to project power and influence, the criteria to self-nominate to become the future home the attendees of the USSPACECOM change of
Command.” reduces decision timelines for space op- of the command. command ceremony, Aug. 20, 2020. Gen. John “Jay”
The city has also garnered the support erations, and brings focused attention to At that time, Palmdale, Calif., nominated the city to Raymond relinquished command of USSPACECOM
of Brig. Gen. Matthew W. Higer, com- defending U.S. interests in space. Estab- become the future home of the command. to Dickinson.
mander of the 412th Wing at Edwards lishing USSPACECOM is a critical step
Air Force Base, Calif. in accelerating the ability of the Joint
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