The Department of the Air Force announced Tuesday that Vandenberg Space Force Base is among the six candidates for the permanent home of STARCOM headquarters.
STARCOM stands for Space Training and Readiness Command and is currently located temporarily at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
STARCOM is one of three Space Force command centers.
The new headquarters would be responsible for training space professionals, developing space warfighting doctrine and the testing of Space Force systems.
Rep. Salud Carbajal issued support for Vandenberg Space Force Base's bid to become the permanent STARCOM headquarters.
“In the search for a permanent location for Space Training and Readiness Command, Vandenberg has already demonstrated its ability to train space operators and serve a critical testing site," he said in a press release. "And in addition, its proximity to some of our country’s finest research institutions and aerospace industry make it the best candidate for STARCOM."
In 2020, Carbajal cosigned a letter supporting VSFB becoming the STARCOM headquarters with then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
In addition to the political support, a growing group of local organizations have pushed for the base to become the new headquarters.
The Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH), a local economic advocacy organization, has campaigned for VSFB to become the STARCOM headquarters since the search first began.
Melissa James, the president/CEO of REACH, said in a statement Tuesday that the organization is eager to show off what the Central Coast has to offer.
“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," James said.
No timeline has been set by the Department of the Air Force for the official decision, but site surveys for the six candidates will begin in late April or early May.
The surveys will assess each site's ability to meet a number of requirements related to mission, cost, infrastructure capacity, community support and environmental considerations.
The other bases under consideration are Los Angeles Air Force Base in California, Buckley SFB in Colorado, Schriever SFB in Colorado, Peterson SFB in Colorado, and Patrick SFB in Florida.
