US DoD Seeks Design-Build Partner for $4bn Space Command Data Center at Redstone Arsenal

The US Department of Defense has taken a significant step toward expanding its military space infrastructure, publishing an advance notice that reveals plans to develop a mission-critical command and control center alongside a supporting data center for the US Space Command. The project, valued at approximately $4 billion, represents one of the largest single investments in military command infrastructure in recent years and underscores the growing importance of secure, resilient computing capacity for national defense operations.

The notice, published on Sam.Gov on October 13, states that the Air Force Civil Engineer Center is seeking a Design-Build Contractor responsible for the design, construction, fit-out, commissioning, and accreditation of the USSPACECOM Command and Control Facility. The 700,000 sq ft (65,030 sqm) facility will be situated on 64 acres at the Redstone Arsenal Army base in Madison County, Alabama, and is designed to support approximately 1,800 personnel. The estimated $4 billion cost covers design, construction, fit-out, commissioning, accreditation, and the installation of fixtures, furniture, and equipment.

While specific details regarding the size of the data center component have yet to be disclosed, the facility will be required to meet stringent security and resilience standards. These include radio frequency shielding, high-altitude electromagnetic pulse protection, a sensitive compartmented information facility, and redundant and resilient infrastructure — specifications that reflect the increasingly sophisticated threats facing military command operations in an era of great power competition.

The winning contractor will have until December 2031 to deliver the completed facility. Applicants must be US-based organizations with demonstrated experience on projects of this scale and must hold a Top Secret Facility Security clearance. The application deadline is December 15, 2026.

Redstone Arsenal is home to more than 75 tenant agencies, including the US Space Command, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the FBI. The base has long served as the center for testing and development of the Army's missile programs. The US Space Command, responsible for military operations in outer space, was reestablished in 2019 with a renewed focus on warfighting capabilities. The relocation of its headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Redstone Arsenal has been in progress since 2021, with President Donald Trump announcing in 2025 that the move would be completed by 2032.

The project highlights the Defense Department's broader push to modernize its digital and command infrastructure amid rising global security challenges. As military operations increasingly depend on advanced computing, satellite communications, and real-time data processing, the demand for purpose-built, highly secure data center capacity continues to grow. The USSPACECOM facility is expected to serve as a cornerstone of that effort, providing the computational backbone for space domain awareness and command operations well into the next decade.