I was the last commander of the original United States Space Command. In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld decided to disestablish USSPACECOM and to distribute its missions to United States Strategic Command in October, 2002. History has shown it was a mistake to eliminate the only unified command primarily focused on space.

From my front row seat, I watched well-intentioned planners trying to anticipate every possible hiccup in the transition to Strategic Command, knowing full well that even the best plans are never perfect. What surprised many was the difficulty in fully completing the transfer of the space mission to USSTRATCOM.

Founded in 1985, USSPACECOM had built a strong military, civilian and contractor team during its 17 years of existence. Asking the heart of this team — with its significant expertise — to move to the new location of the mission was a big ask. Unfortunately, few of the civilian and contractor members of the team were agreeable to the move. Their families were happy in Colorado Springs, the quality of life and cost of living were good, and the job market was strong. While they liked the space mission and contributed much to the nation in that area, the notion of moving to a different city trumped the desire to stay involved in space.

As we consider the permanent location for the new USSPACECOM, provisionally located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, I am concerned that history could repeat itself. And I would argue the stakes are considerable higher this time around.

In 2002, Russia was our primary competitor in the space arena. Over 45 years of experience with Russia in space pursuits had produced reasonable understanding of norms of behavior that were acceptable to both sides. That’s not to say that everything was as we would have preferred, but we understood each other.

Today, China is moving forward in space at considerable speed. Recent successes in missions to the moon, an expanding fleet of launch vehicles, and a large constellation of satellites with various capabilities highlight their technical prowess. More troubling is their development and fielding of counterspace weapons. In January, 2007, China’s successful destruction of one of their defunct weather satellites by an anti-satellite weapon sent a message to the world that they had the technology to attack satellites. Public writings since that time describe a regime that believes killing satellites is an acceptable element of warfare.

At the same time, Russia continues to conduct provocative satellite tests, sometimes using high value U.S. satellites as the target. And like China, the development of counterspace weapons is a priority of their space program. Other nations besides China and Russia likewise are actively engaged in counterspace research and development.

As the original USSPACECOM stood down, these threats did not exist. In fact, space was considered a sanctuary. Our satellites and our space operations were based on that sanctuary mindset. Therefore, a lapse in the expertise and readiness of the space team at the combatant command level was deemed tolerable — not desirable, but tolerable, given the world situation.

Today, should conflict extend to space, the timelines for response are short, the dependence on space assets is great, and the war fighting of the last 20+ years has institutionalized the use of space. In fact, it’s not clear that we know how to conduct military operations without space.

As the Department of the Air Force conducts the selection process for a permanent home for USSPACECOM, it will be vitally important to consider the lessons from 2002—and to understand the very different environment of today.

The non-trivial challenges of the creation of USSPACECOM and the Space Force occupy considerable time and effort by the leadership of both organizations. A physical move of USSPACECOM headquarters on top of these challenges likely would require unacceptable planning time at the expense of learning how to deter conflict in space and how to better defend our satellites.

The space team, under the leadership of USSPACECOM, is learning how to become more resilient to aggressive acts by others in space. This team is operational at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, and nine miles east at Schriever Air Force Base. Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, located in a superb of Denver, also contributes significantly to the team. The nascent progress of that team undoubtedly would be interrupted by a move to another location. Contractors are continually adding new infrastructure and new ideas to the team as USSPACECOM matures in its current location.

What has not changed since 2002 is the desirability of living in Colorado, as underscored by numerous ratings. A critical mass of the team which has worked hard to adjust to the new realities in space is unlikely to move to a new location—as demonstrated in the space mission move in 2002. The expertise and experience of this team is unique and at this point, irreplaceable. The security clearances alone are a tremendous hurdle.

Finally, as a taxpayer, I am concerned about the tremendous cost of moving the new USSPACECOM. I’ve heard estimates that range in the billions of dollars. Even if it was half that, I would be concerned, given the pandemic-related expenses facing our Nation.

As the first commander of United States Northern Command, I watched Strategic Command work hard to build their space expertise over a number of years. I am convinced we can’t afford that luxury of time today. I would argue that the space mission has been in Colorado Springs since Air Force Space Command was established in 1982 — and it never really left. The longevity of space expertise and the critical space infrastructure already exist in Colorado. No other location can make that claim.

As the Department of Defense considers the permanent location for USSPACECOM, let’s make sure the new command is granted every possible advantage to very quickly build the operational plans and concepts needed to deter, and if necessary, to fight and win in space.

General (Retired) Ralph E. “Ed” Eberhart was Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base.