Vandenberg loses bid to be Space Command home — but local group says fight is still on
Despite a concerted campaign by state officials and Central Coast economic players, Vandenberg Air Force Base has lost out on its bid to become the new headquarters for United States Space Command.
The fight isn’t necessarily over though.
Though it was originally believed to be one of the top contenders to house Space Command, the Lompoc base is no longer in the running, according to statement by the Air Force on Nov. 21.
U.S. Space Command is the unified combatant command of the U.S. Department of Defense in charge of space warfare.
The Department of the Air Force selected six candidates from self-nominated communities across 24 states: the finalists include Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Port San Antonio in Texas and Redstone Army Airfield in Alabama.
No California bases made the final six.
According to a release, the Department of the Air Force “evaluated each location and will now conduct both virtual and on-site visits at each candidate location to assess which location is best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.
The winning base will be selected sometime in early 2021, according to the release.
The news was met by disappointment from Central Coast representatives, especially members of REACH, a local economic development group that spearheaded the push to make Vandenberg the command’s home.
“While we’re disappointed that Vandenberg — originally a top three finalist for Space Command headquarters — is not among the current list of finalists, we also recognize the outsized role politics play in these decisions,” REACH vice president of strategy Andrew Hackleman said in a news release.
The command was re-established in 2018, and the Air Force conducted a search for its home the next year. At that time, the Air Force selected several finalist bases, including Vandenberg.
The announcement was met with criticism from the governors of Texas and Florida, according to REACH, and a new selection process began in May 2020.
In September, Central Coast community officials submitted their full application to the Air Force office that evaluates candidates, officially making the case for why the Central Coast base should be home to U.S. Space Command.
California leaders like Rep. Salud Carbajal, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Vice President-elect Sen. Kamala Harris all endorsed making the Central Coast base the new headquarters.
Despite being left off the new finalist list, Hackleman said the group will continue to push to have Vandenberg become the U.S. Space Command headquarters.
“With the ultimate decision falling to the next administration, REACH will continue working with our elected officials on advancing Vandenberg’s premier space capabilities as the top choice for SpaceCom HQ,” Hackleman said.
Carbajal also expressed his disappointment of Vandenberg not being a finalist in a statement Monday night.
“Vandenberg was a top pick for US Space Command headquarters just last year, so I’m disappointed and surprised that it has been removed from the latest list of finalists,” he wrote. “In fact, given our state’s leadership in aerospace engineering and innovation, I’m alarmed that there is not a single California base in the final six contenders.”
Carbajal said he is working with federal and local partners to understand the criteria the decision as based on, and whether it was politically motivated.
“If this is simply another attempt by the Trump Administration to bully California, that is unacceptable and I will encourage the incoming Administration to reconsider,” Carbajal said. “This isn’t over, and I will continue to make the case that there is no better place than Vandenberg to serve as home to U.S. Space Command.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Salud Carbajal.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 3:36 PM.
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