Pentagon leaders on Friday said they’ve chosen Austin to host the groundbreaking Army Futures Command, setting up the Texas capital as the central hub of the Army’s 21st-century modernization efforts and ensuring the city will reap the massive economic benefits as the military partners with academia and private industry.
During a press conference at the Pentagon, officials said Austin presented a better environment for their effort than the other four finalists — Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Raleigh. An advance Army team is already en route to Austin to begin setting up the facility, which will host roughly 500 personnel and will be led by an Army four-star general.
“As we looked at each city … we envisioned how each city ecosystem would support our modernization effort,” Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters. “We do not have time to build this ecosystem. It needed to be ready immediately .”
He added that the Army Futures Command represents a “radical cultural change” for the military. Army leaders in Austin now will work directly with universities, researchers, private companies, and other stakeholders to prepare the Army for future conflict.
“It will turn ideas into action through experimenting, prototyping and testing,” said Army Secretary Mark Esper.
Officials said the Army’s course adjustment is overdue, and that it’s time for the military to transition away from the form of warfare seen in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 15 years.
“We set aside major modernization programs in order to fight the current fight. As those fights have wound down, we made a conscious decision … to maintain readiness for the current fight as our No. 1 priority, as that will maintain, but also to shift gears and reenergize our modernization effort,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
While the facility’s workforce will be relatively small, the Command surely will attract top-notch researchers and businesses to Austin in the hopes they can land lucrative Defense Department contracts.
Texas lawmakers praised the Pentagon’s decision.
“The Army made the right choice for Futures Command, and I have been honored to help to bring it home to Texas,” Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, said in a statement. “With the innovation and business growth occurring around our state, the many high-tech companies, and dozens of companies that supply all manner of advanced technology to our military, Texas is uniquely positioned to ensure the Army succeeds in this new mission. As Futures Command is established, I am eager to continue working with the Army to ensure they are ready to preserve peace and deter aggression.”
Military officials said Texas offered a package of “incentives” to convince the Army to locate there, though it’s unclear exactly what that incentive package includes.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.