Spacecom ‘On Track For FOC’ Despite No Final Basing Decision

COLORADO SPRINGS—U.S. Space Command says it is on track to reach full operational capability (FOC) by year’s end, although its biggest hurdle has yet to be cleared.

Spacecom chief Gen. James Dickinson made the prediction April 18 during the Space Symposium here. The announcement came at the same location where in 2021 he declared the command had reached initial operational capability (IOC).

But in order to reach FOC, the command needs to have a permanent and fully staffed headquarters location, Dickinson has said. In 2021, the Pentagon announced it had selected the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to host Spacecom, a controversial move that would take it from its current home of Colorado Springs.

That decision has been in limbo since, and U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has yet to make a final decision. He told lawmakers last month he has not made his selection and is waiting for more analysis.

There is no indication that President Joe Biden would flip the pick, Kendall said during a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing.

“[Defense Secretary] Lloyd Austin delegated it to me and that’s where it stays today,” Kendall told the panel.

The choice of Redstone prompted allegations of political favoritism by the Trump administration, followed by a series of reviews by the Government Accountability Office and Pentagon’s Inspector General into the decision-making process.