By Megan Plotka | mplotka@al.com
Huntsville and Colorado Springs municipal and business leaders are ready to act as a team to advance Space Command, Golden Dome Missile Defense and other defense missions, officials from the two cities said.
“America’s Olympic City and America’s Rocket City together can make our space defense and Golden Dome the best they can be, because (…) both cities rely on the same prime contractors, the same talent pipelines, and increasingly the same programs, including Golden Dome for America, operating across both cities,” Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, said at a joint press conference in Huntsville Monday.
Huntsville leaders are hosting over 90 Colorado Springs business and civic leaders for a three-day visit to build relationships. The meeting comes after the controversial move of the headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville.
‘Tale of these two cities’
Whiting said his life is a “tale of these two cities.” His wife’s family is based in Colorado Springs, while his brother and father live in Huntsville, and his family goes back three generations in Madison County.
“My family’s life often involves shuttling back and forth between your two great communities,” he said. “And you know what I picked up? You’re both incredibly military-friendly, welcoming, outdoorsy, and regularly found on a top 10 this list or a top 5 that list because you’re both incredible places to live.”
He dubbed them ‘sister cities,’ noting they share more than 70 of the same defense contractors, including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Huntsville is considered the center of missile defense expertise, while operational capabilities are centered in Colorado Springs.
The cities gained national attention when President Donald Trump announced the relocation of Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville on Sept. 2, 2025. Colorado state leaders filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the relocation decision.
In a joint press conference with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said his city is moving forward as a partner to Huntsville.
“Behind every debate about missions and headquarters are service members, civilian employees, spouses, children, families, whose lives are affected by decisions that they did not make, and at that moment we weren’t two mayors representing competing cities,” Mobolade said.
“We were two Americans entrusted with caring for the people who serve our country. To me, that is leadership, and quite frankly, civility,” he added. “Because civility does not require us to abandon our convictions or stop competing with our communities. It means that we can compete without contempt, disagree without dishonoring, and when the moment calls for it, puts something larger than ourselves first, because the threats facing our country are bigger than any competition between our two cities.”
Of Space Command’s total force of 1,800, 167 are already stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, according to Gen. Whiting. He said the full move is expected to be completed by 2032.