6 military bases identified for US Space Command

The US Air Force has identified the six military bases that could house the military's newest combatant command, Space Command, according to a defence memo.

Four of the proposed locations are located in Colorado -- Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base Schriever Air Force Base, CNN quoted the memo as saying on Friday.

The other two locations are in Alabama -- Army's Redstone Arsenal -- and California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The memo, which has been approved by Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, also said that "the projected manpower" for the US Space Command is 1,450 personnel -- 390 military officers, 183 enlisted personnel, 827 civilians and 50 contractors.

About 350 of those personnel will be drawn from the existing Joint Force Space Component Command, which is currently part of US Strategic Command.

Last month, President Donald Trump nominated Air Force Gen. John Raymond, who currently leads Air Force Space Command, to head the new Space Command.

The Air Force's analysis used a set of criteria to determine where the command was to be housed, which included cost, co-location with an existing military organisation that will become a component of the future Space Command, access to a C-17 aircraft capable airfield, communications connectivity, administrative buildings and available base support.

--IANS

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