More than 140 U.S. Space Command headquarters personnel are now working from Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., one year after President Donald Trump directed the command to relocate its headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, the Defense Department (DOD) recently announced.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the War Department.
The command expects its presence at Redstone to reach 200 uniformed and civilian personnel by the end of 2026 and 900 personnel in fiscal year (FY) 2028 – half of its full staff. The 140 personnel already working from three facilities across the Army installation represent approximately 10% of Space Command’s total manpower, according to the DOD announcement.
The relocation is moving forward one year after President Donald Trump directed U.S. Space Command in September 2025 to move its headquarters from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado to Redstone Arsenal.
Trump’s September 2025 decision reversed years of back-and-forth over the headquarters location. Redstone Arsenal was named the preferred site in 2021 and reaffirmed after an environmental review in 2022, but the Biden administration opted to keep Space Command in Colorado in 2023 over combat readiness concerns. A DOD Inspector General report later found that moving to Alabama could save an estimated $426 million in personnel and construction costs.
The relocation is also driving new infrastructure investments. Space Command secured $147.5 million in FY 2026 funding for secure digital infrastructure intended to maintain uninterrupted global command and control as operations expand.
“This funding, secured through coordination with the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management & Comptroller and the Office of the Secretary of War-Comptroller, ensures the command will operate seamlessly from interim facilities until the final [command and control facility] is operational,” the DOD stated.
Additionally, the DOD explained that the National Defense Authorization Act also provided Other Transaction Authority that the command is using to accelerate the permanent facility’s timeline through a progressive design-build process.
“This legislative backing secured $57 million this fiscal year specifically dedicated to the planning and design of the permanent [command and control facility], streamlining traditional acquisition timelines to keep the construction schedule on track,” the announcement reads.
Meanwhile, the command is offering financial incentives to its current civilian workforce to support retention and mission continuity. It also is expanding hiring efforts across northern Alabama and working to ensure personnel resources and services are available as the headquarters grows, DOD said.