Offutt Air Force Base Endorsed for USSPACECOM Headquarters
Retired Admiral James O. Ellis, Jr. (USN), former commander of U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), and retired NASA astronaut, Clayton Anderson, recently announced their support of Offutt Air Force Base (www.offutt.af.mil) in Nebraska as the permanent location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters (USSPACECOM). Clayton and Ellis were joined by former Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman and former Nebraska Governor Kay Orr, who also announced their endorsement of Nebraska as USSPACECOM headquarters.
“In 2002, we merged the first United States Space Command with United States Strategic Command in Omaha because of the natural synergies between space operations and all of the strategic roles then resident in USSTRATCOM. Many of those synergies still exist, and I believe co-location of these two important commands would make a great deal of sense, especially given the pro-active ability of the region to craft public-private partnerships and national security research support, and the always-welcoming spirit of the people of Nebraska,” Ellis said.
Currently, The Department of the Air Force is considering six locations for USSPACECOM: Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Patrick AFB, Florida; Peterson AFB, Colorado; Port San Antonio, Texas and Redstone Army Airfield, Alabama.
The USSPACECOM headquarters is expected to host an estimated 1,400 military and civilian personnel in a 400,000 to 450,000-square-foot building. For context, the “new” USSTRATCOM headquarters building hosts 3,500 military and civilian personnel in a 916,000-square-foot building.
Offutt Air Force Base, Greater Omaha’s No. 1 employer (with nearly 10,000 military and civilian employees), was announced as a finalist November 19, following a rigorous, point-based, objective review. Home to USSTRATCOM, Offutt Air Force Base already houses the 55th Wing, Air Combat Command’s largest wing; the Air Force Weather Agency; the 595th Command & Control Group and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) Annex. Additionally, Space Command was integrated with USSTRATCOM from January 2003-2016. Learn more at www.offutt.af.mil.