Patrick Air Force Base finalist to become Space Force headquarters

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) – Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County is among the finalists to be the permanent location of the U.S. Space Command headquarters, officials announced Thursday.

The Space Force was created in 2019 when President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law. It’s the first new service since the U.S. Air Force came into being in 1947.

The other finalists include Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Offutt AFB in Bellevue, Nebraska; Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama; and Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

Space Command is currently headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado for the next six years until the U.S. Air Force establishes a permanent base.

If Patrick Air Force Base is selected, it could have significant economic benefits for the Space Coast.

It would mean more employees in Brevard County, more people buying homes in the area and more people raising families in the area.

Air Force officials will be touring the six locations in the running and expect to announce a decision in January.