Presidential Inauguration Rehearsal Held At US Capitol Building

A member of the Air Force holds a Space Force flag in an honor guard during a dress rehearsal for the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Nash – Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — A flurry of Space Force basing decisions were announced yesterday, including a move to permanently station four more operational units in Colorado Springs.

The addition of units to Colorado stands out, as the state delegations between Colorado and Alabama are currently in a running war over who will be the ultimate home of US Space Command. So, it’s not surprising that Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who chairs the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, touted the Space Force’s growing presence in his state, noting in a statement that the basing decisions would add more than 500 Guardians to the already hefty service presence in the state.

“Colorado Springs continues to prove itself as the premier location for our nation’s space defense operations,” he said.

The Department of the Air Force in a press release announced that Space Force Delta 12, responsible for test and evaluation, will be stationed at Schriever SFB in Colorado Springs.

Further, Patrick SFB in Florida was tapped as the preferred location to host Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) Headquarters, along with the Space Force’s Delta 10 responsible for doctrine and warning. STARCOM’s permanent base has also been the subject of political contention.

The Air Force release added that Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, is the “preferred location” for Space Delta 11, which is responsible for test ranges and realistic combat training. Kirtland has long been a training site for space operations.

Meanwhile, the Space Force issued a separate release announcing that its newest operational unit — Delta 15, stood up in March — also will be based at Schriever, while the 75th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Squadron and the 74th ISR Squadron are to bed down at Peterson SFB, also in Colorado Springs.

Delta 15 is a command and control unit that supports Space Command’s National Space Defense Center (NSDC), which brings together military and Intelligence Community operators to determine how best to “protect and defend” Defense Department space systems.

The 74th ISR Squadron, activated in November 2022, “provides tailored threat analysis and intelligence production for tactical space operations,” the release said. The new 75th “will be responsible for the federated targeting mission through orbital targeting sections focusing on integrating kinetic and non-kinetic targeting for the Joint Force across several orbital regimes.”

Lamborn’s release pointed out that the density of space-related activities in Colorado Springs. The town is “currently home to the Space Operations Command, National Space Defense Center, Space Delta (DEL) 2, DEL 3, DEL 6, DEL 7, DEL 8, DEL 9, DEL 10, DEL 11, DEL 12, DEL 15, Space Base Delta 1. It is the provisional location of Space Training and Readiness Command, and the current home to the SSC Transition Division, Space Systems Command Product Support/Defensive Cyber Operations/Rapid Reaction Branch, 1st Space Brigade, 310th Space Wing, and 138th Space Control Squadron.

“Given the critical national security missions conducted at the five military installations in Colorado Springs, hardened communications and proper infrastructure are already built into the Pikes Peak Region,” the release said.