WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Air Force has downsized the list for possible locations for the U.S. Space Command to six, U.S. media reported Saturday.
Four of the locations are in the midwestern state of Colorado, one in the southern state of Alabama and another in the western state of California, according to the Stars and Stripes.
The Colorado bases are Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base, and Schriever Air Force Base. Redstone Arsenal of Alabama and Vandenberg Air Force Base of California are also on the final list.
Criteria for choosing the location included cost, access to an airfield capable of landing C-18 aircraft, communication connectivity and co-location with an existing military organization that would become a part of the U.S. Space Command.
The new command could reportedly bring as many as 1,450 personnel, including 390 military officers, 183 enlisted, 827 civilians and 50 contractors, which incentivized the states to actively bid for the command.
The U.S. Space Command, first established in 1985 but de-emphasized after the Sept. 11 attacks, was once again elevated to the status of a unified combatant command in 2018 after President Donald Trump signaled the support for establishing a Space Force.
