"The most significant factor the President considered was the impact a move would have to operational readiness to confront space-enabled threats during a critical time in this dynamic security environment," a senior administration told Breaking Defense in a statement.
The funds in question essentially are monies that the Defense Department wants to move around from one program to another deemed more urgent — something that happens every year because DoD budget requests happen nearly a year before funds can be spent.
As threats evolve, the winning model ties digital engineering to manufacturing capacity and a reindustrialized supply chain.
"At this point, the biggest thing standing in the way of SPACECOM is political inertia and sore loser syndrome, each a detriment to U.S. military effectiveness," wrote Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville last month in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee leaders.
A draft version of a DoD inspector general report, obtained by Breaking Defense, said an Alabama HQ was justified, even after top military officials made a last-minute push for Colorado Springs.