As U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn prepares to leave office after 17 years, his contributions to the five Pikes Peak-region military installations can be measured in the billions. 

The preservation of Space Command in Colorado Springs tops the list of his accomplishments, with its $1 billion in annual economic impact. 

But Lamborn fought for many other lasting investments as well, including the dedication of Pikes Peak National Cemetery, new buildings at Fort Carson and Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, nearly $50 million to refurbish Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station and $500 million for space and missile defense missions in the area, among many other investments. The military construction projects Lamborn has worked on total $3 billion, according to a statement on his website. 

Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corp., lauded his work in a statement Friday. 

“His bipartisan work with Colorado Senate partners, with El Paso County and City of Colorado Springs leaders as well as on the House Armed Services Committee have had an inestimable positive impact on national security, military readiness, local military missions, and the people who work tirelessly to preserve our freedom,” she said.  

Lamborn started work on the cemetery on his second day in Congress back in 2007 and it’s been an important achievement for his district, home to one of the largest populations of veterans in the country, said Bob McLaughlin, the executive director of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center. The cemetery was established after a nearly 20-year push by local veterans who objected to a Department of Veterans Affairs policy that forced local veterans to seek their final refuge at Fort Logan in Denver.

Lamborn also has been an attentive listener, attending 10 roundtables that McLaughlin has organized to hear directly from veterans at the center, McLaughlin said. 

“He has been very open and his team has been open about communicating, getting the facts,” McLaughlin said. 

Lamborn also has worked on new facilities that improve the lives of active service members, such as a dorm consolidation project at the U.S. Air Force Academy and a state-of-the-art physical fitness facility on Fort Carson. 

Other investments have been more mission-focused, such as the Special Operations Forces tactical equipment maintenance facility on Fort Carson and digitization upgrades on a long-range radar site for U.S. Northern Command, a news release said. 

His longevity in Congress and position as chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee helped build his influence, although he was outnumbered greatly in the recent fight over whether Space Command would go to Alabama or stay in Colorado Springs. 

At a Space Command celebration in America the Beautiful Park, Lamborn noted that Alabama had seven members on the four committees with the most pull around a permanent basing decision. Lamborn is the sole Colorado voice on any of the committees.

“His leadership will be missed for our district,” former City Councilman and El Paso County Commissioner Wayne Williams said. 

He said Lamborn had a history of working with Democrats on important issues, such as the cemetery, and whoever follows him will need a similar ability to build relationships on behalf of the district. 

“Whoever is going to be involved needs to be able to work with people from all sides of the party and outside the party,” he said. 

McLaughlin would like see to a replacement who is equally committed to representing the large veteran community in town and working on their issues, such as holding the VA accountable.