Tennessee U.S. senators are praising the choice of neighboring Alabama for the headquarters of the new U.S. Space Command.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Brentwood) and Bill Hagerty (R-Nashville) say the decision to locate the headquarters in the Tennessee Valley will bring skilled jobs to the region. Huntsville is about 20 miles south of the Tennessee state line. A new Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing plant is also under construction in Huntsville. The $2.3 billion facility is projected to employ about 4,000 people once it goes online next year.

Here’s the joint release from Blackburn and Hagerty:

NASHVILLE, TENN. – Today, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the announcement that the United States Space Command will be headquartered in Huntsville, AL.  

“The new Space Command Center in the Tennessee Valley is an important investment in both the future of our military and in the skilled workforce of the region,” said Senator Blackburn. “This base will bring over 1,600 new jobs in the area and more as the command grows.”

“The new United States Space Command headquarters in the Tennessee Valley will be the primary entity for providing strategic direction to the U.S. military to deter space-based threats globally,” said Senator Hagerty.  “Space Command’s future headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, will bring hundreds of new jobs to Tennesseans and further our state’s rich history of contributing to our national defense.”