Op Ed - Colorado Springs Must Lead Boldly in a Space Business Future
By: Stan VanderWerf
Stan VanderWerf is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served as an El Paso County Commissioner from 2017 to 2024. After completing two terms on the Board of County Commissioners, he recently announced his candidacy for Mayor of Colorado Springs. The publication of this op-ed does not constitute an endorsement by the El Paso Journal of Mr. VanderWerf or any candidate for public office.
Colorado Springs has spent decades building the operations backbone of America’s space-based national defense. We trained the operators, built the systems, installed them here, and delivered mission success over and over again. I was part of this process having been stationed at both Shriever and Peterson Space Force Bases. The federal decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters was not just disappointing—it was a strategic mistake. It will cost billions and the taxpayer will get nothing from it. But let’s be honest: dwelling on that decision with wishful thinking won’t bring the command back today. The world of federal defense missions doesn’t reward wishful thinkers; it rewards communities that show strength, unity, seriousness, and purpose. After 28 years in uniform and eight years as a County Commissioner, one lesson stands above the rest: to secure our future, we must have a vision and plan, lead and act, and take care of what we value. That kind of leadership—direct, forceful, unapologetic—is exactly what Colorado Springs needs today and, unfortunately, our current Colorado Springs Mayor is not delivering.
To win, Colorado Springs must move faster. We are a big place. We have political clout. We have the workforce talent. We need better leadership to use these assets. And we need to think big.
We are still home to the nation’s highest concentration of space operators. We still host NORAD, NORTHCOM, Schriever, Peterson, Fort Carson, Cheyenne Mountain, and the Air Force Academy. More than 150 defense and aerospace companies and over 200 space/cyber companies call our region home. We have a stronger workforce pipeline than Huntsville or any other competitor. In other words: we still have the high ground, and what we need for future success.
Colorado Springs, and its partners, should be laser-focused on securing the next generation of missions: missile warning, missile tracking, cyber defense, AI systems integration, and programs like Golden Dome. These are multi-trillion-dollar national security initiatives. Cities that prepare aggressively will win them. Cities that fixate on grievances will not.
As Mayor of Colorado Springs, I will do the following and more.
Lean in, when engaging with federal partners. We can and should do more in DC and with our military partners. Plan and act. We need to highlight our strengths, mitigate our weaknesses, and sell the nation our value proposition.
Accelerate infrastructure projects that support military missions so that we are ready for new missions. Strengthen our aerospace workforce pipeline through UCCS, Pikes Peak State College, and industry collaboration. Build the most attractive environment in the nation for defense innovators to test, research, manufacture, and operate – the best innovation eco-system in the nation.
Colorado Springs did not become a national defense hub by being timid. Our city has always succeeded by being resolute strategic, and willing to challenge complacency—whether at home, in Washington, or Denver.
We cannot afford to drift. We cannot afford to act like a victim in someone else’s political theater.
The future will belong to the community that shows the most strength. Colorado Springs has the talent, the infrastructure, the mission experience, and a great foundation to lead the next era of American defense. Now we need the mindset, the will, and the leadership to seize that future without apology. Our city, our region, and our citizens deserve nothing less.
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