ST. LOUIS — St. Clair County has submitted a bid for the U.S. Space Command's new headquarters, which would bring 1,400 jobs to the area. The government said it's targeting a site next to Scott Air Force Base that was previously targeted for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's new headquarters, which went to north St. Louis.
“After careful review of the screening and evaluation criteria, we believe our community meets all minimum eligibility requirements and would earn a competitive score when assessed against the evaluation criteria," St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said in a statement.
The county already owns the land and the base’s security fence could be extended to include the Space Command inside the base, Kern told the Belleville News-Democrat. He indicated the county would give the land to the federal government.
An estimated 1,400 personnel would work at the facility, and the Air Force will make a final selection for the preferred headquarters location in early 2021, the newspaper reported.
The first step is to get Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to endorse the local site. He hasn't yet done so.
President Donald Trump re-established the Space Command last year.
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