U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) urged the U.S. Army to consider expanding the operational footprint and the number of personnel at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio as part of “Western Hemisphere Command.”
In a letter to Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, Gonzales said San Antonio’s geostrategic, operational and infrastructural advantages would allow it to take on a larger mission set and more personnel to support the merger of the U.S. Army North and the U.S. Army South operations into one single Western Hemisphere Command. Among the strategic merits, Gonzales said, was the city’s proximity to the southern border, its longstanding partnerships with Homeland Security assets, and its existing relationship with military allies in Latin America. Additionally, the city’s broader cyber ecosystem, including NSA Texas, Texas Cyber Command and Air Forces Cyber, help to make the city “Military City, USA” and an ideal location to add more personnel and operational bandwidth.
“I write…to urge your consideration of not only retaining, but expanding, operational elements and personnel at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio to support the new mission set at hand,” he wrote.
“As a combat veteran and retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, I respect and understand the critical need to enhance efficiency across our armed forces, and I commend the Army Transformation Initiative for its intent to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies across the service. To that end, I strongly believe the City of San Antonio, known as “Military City, U.S.A.”, can be of even greater use to strengthen the Army’s overall strategic posture.”
Gonzales said Fort Sam Houston is “uniquely positioned” to serve as a central pillar for operations supporting Western Hemisphere Command, including efforts to counter narco-trafficking and the organizations behind it. Expanding the fort’s operational footprint would further strengthen coordination with other federal initiatives like Joint Task Force-Southern Border.
“The United States can and must maintain a secure and stable hemisphere, and I encourage you to consider the many ways that San Antonio can continue supporting this goal with an expanded operational footprint through the new Western Hemisphere Command,” Gonzales wrote.