Despite the setback to our community when it was announced last year that U.S. Space Command Headquarters would be relocated from Colorado to Alabama, I made a commitment to the Pikes Peak Region that I would work with our community and the Trump Administration to bring even more jobs and missions to Colorado’s Fifth District. I am pleased to announce that more space jobs and more space investment are coming to El Paso County than ever before.
Recently, I joined the Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink at Schriever Space Force Base to announce new investments in El Paso County. Among these are moving the Space Force’s Infrastructure Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) to Peterson Space Force Base, the construction of a new $250 million Space Force Operations Facility at Schriever, and significant Space Force personnel growth in the coming years.
The Infrastructure PAE is an official who manages program architectures, has the authority to procure and manage government systems, and is housed within Space Systems Command. The Air Force has moved more than 90% of contracting authorities down to the PAE level, making them extremely powerful decision makers. This new office will be headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, with a team of about 500 civilians to support them. The Infrastructure PAE has a multi-billion-dollar portfolio and will be a big incentive for defense and aerospace companies to continue to invest in El Paso County.
Next, we announced plans for a new $250 million Space Force Operations Facility at Schriever Space Force Base. This facility will support approximately 2,500 civilian jobs and essential missions such as Golden Dome, space-based reconnaissance, and all-domain and control. The Air Force specifically chose El Paso County because of its unique infrastructure and talented workforce in the region.
Furthermore, Secretary Meink and I discussed how the Space Force will double in size over the next few years. With over half of all Space Force Guardians calling the Pikes Peak Region home, this end strength increase will further invest in our local economy. Also, with the passage of the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act, the number of 2nd Lieutenants coming to Peterson Space Force Base to complete the Officer Training Course will increase by 300%.
With these announcements, Secretary Meink underscored the importance of Colorado to our national defense, saying “[o]ur ongoing investments and collaboration are a tangible representation of our continued commitment to Colorado and the future of the Space Force.” But it needs to be pointed out that some of our elected officials in Denver almost put investments like these in jeopardy, choosing instead to essentially kick sand in the face of this Administration to score political points. I joined the leaders in our community to oppose the frivolous lawsuits coming out of Denver and instead focus on a solution. As a community, we showed Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District is not Denver, and now we are reaping the benefits.
As the Space Force continues to grow, so will our community. I am grateful to President Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Secretary Meink for their continued commitment to El Paso County and am delighted that the investments Secretary Meink announced last week solidify that commitment for the long term. Our community is proud to have been a strong partner of the Department of the Air Force for over eight decades, and I’m confident that our best days are still ahead.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank serves in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.