A military installation in Santa Barbara County has been named a finalist to become the home for a new headquarters organization overseeing U.S. Space Force education and training, leading local lawmakers to lobby to make it a reality.
The Air Force recently announced the finalists, including Vandenberg Space Force Base, for the Space Training and Readiness Command, saying that all Space Force bases remain contenders.
In addition to Vandenberg, other possible sites include Los Angeles Air Force Base (to be renamed a Space Force Base in the future) in California and Patrick SFB in Florida, plus Buckley SFB, Schriever SFB and Peterson SFB, all in Colorado.
Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said Vandenberg already serves as the premiere West Coast launch site plus is a cornerstone for space training programs.
“I’ve advocated for Vandenberg both because of the innovation it will foster in our own backyard, but also for the jobs and economic opportunities it will create for our communities,” Carbajal said. “I am pleased to see it is under consideration for selection, and look forward to continuing to engage with the department as they begin the next phase of their assessments.”
For decades, Vandenberg has served as the home of training for intercontinental ballistic missile operation crew members and maintainers in what informally was known as “Missile University.”
Base closures in other states also brought space-related training programs to Vandenberg in the 1990s, meaning enlisted members and officers assigned to space and missile careers would take their job-related lessons on the Central Coast.
A coalition of educational and other organizations has provided “enthusiastic and unqualified support” and called Vandenberg “the natural and intuitive fit” for STARCOM.
That coalition is led by REACH Central Coast and has been signed by a number of local leaders, urging Vandenberg’s selection.
Vandenberg, as the third-largest installation in the Department of Air Force, has the capacity to add and centralize Space Force training activities.
“The region has really come together around growing commercial space, and hosting this high-profile Space Force field command would create a new center of gravity in the Central Coast space ecosystem and catalyst for public and private investment,” REACH President/CEO Melissa James said. “As VSFB’s designated community support organization, REACH is eager to work alongside the base through this process and show off what the Central Coast has to offer.”
STARCOM will have five units, or Deltas, according to officials.
Delta 1, located at Vandenberg, provides initial skills training, specialized warfighter follow-on training, and advanced training events and courses to prepare Space Force members and designated joint and allied partners.
Patrick SFB is the lone location under consideration for Delta 10, which will focus on doctrine and wargaming.
Schriever SFB and Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, are candidates to host two other units.
A permanent home for Delta 13, also focused on education, will be considered once Space Force established the curriculum and structure, military officials said. Choosing the home will involve the Air Force’s strategic basing process.
The Air Force plans to begin site surveys in late April or early May to determine which location is best suited to host STARCOM headquarters.
The assessment will be based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, environmental considerations and cost.
STARCOM Headquarters currently operates in a temporary location in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The same process was used to choose the home for the new Space Command headquarters, leading to the selection of the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Some have challenged the choice announced in the waning days of President Donald Trump’s administration, contending the decision was based on politics.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.