"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."
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Congressman Gonzales (TX-23) urged U.S. Army leadership to consider not only retaining, but expanding, the operational footprint and number of personnel assigned to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio as part of the proposed merging of U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into one single "Western Hemisphere Command." This request, made through official correspondence by Congressman Gonzales to Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, cites the City of San Antonio's many geostrategic, operational, and infrastructural advantages to take on a larger mission set and personnel count in support of the new Western Hemisphere Command, regardless of any changes to the command structure that are made in the near future.
Among the strategic merits addressed by Congressman Gonzales in the letter are San Antonio's proximity to the southern border, its longstanding partnerships with homeland security assets, in addition to existing relationships with military allies in Latin America, and San Antonio’s broader cyber ecosystem, including NSA Texas, Texas Cyber Command, and Air Forces Cyber. The combination of these existing features in San Antonio, the letter asserts, positions "Military City, USA" as the ideal location to add more personnel and operational bandwidth to ensure the success of the upcoming Western Hemisphere Command.
"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.
"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.
"With the Western Hemisphere Command 'focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies,’ Fort Sam Houston is uniquely positioned to serve as a central pillar for operations supporting this mission. This is especially true as the Department of War prioritizes efforts to counter-narco-trafficking and the transnational and foreign terrorist organizations that enable it. To meet these challenges, Army South’s longstanding partnerships—including with militaries in Chile, Honduras, and Panama, as well as through cooperation with Joint Task Force-Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay—provide built-in muscle memory at Fort Sam Houston for interoperability with foreign forces and forward operations that project power across the hemisphere.
"Moreover, expanding key operational elements of the Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Sam Houston would further strengthen coordination with initiatives like Joint Task Force-Southern Border, as San Antonio’s proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border makes Fort Sam Houston vital to defending the homeland. At the same time, cybersecurity cannot be forgotten in the Western Hemisphere Command’s homeland defense mission. It is no secret that the United States faces increasingly sophisticated and coordinated cyber threats from both nation-state and non-state actors…
"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,” penned Congressman Tony Gonzales.
"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.
"With the Western Hemisphere Command 'focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies,’ Fort Sam Houston is uniquely positioned to serve as a central pillar for operations supporting this mission. This is especially true as the Department of War prioritizes efforts to counter-narco-trafficking and the transnational and foreign terrorist organizations that enable it. To meet these challenges, Army South’s longstanding partnerships—including with militaries in Chile, Honduras, and Panama, as well as through cooperation with Joint Task Force-Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay—provide built-in muscle memory at Fort Sam Houston for interoperability with foreign forces and forward operations that project power across the hemisphere.
"Moreover, expanding key operational elements of the Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Sam Houston would further strengthen coordination with initiatives like Joint Task Force-Southern Border, as San Antonio’s proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border makes Fort Sam Houston vital to defending the homeland. At the same time, cybersecurity cannot be forgotten in the Western Hemisphere Command’s homeland defense mission. It is no secret that the United States faces increasingly sophisticated and coordinated cyber threats from both nation-state and non-state actors…
"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,” penned Congressman Tony Gonzales.
To read the full letter, click here.
Congressman Gonzales has led related legislative initiatives that passed through the United States House of Representatives in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act regarding the Western Hemisphere Command. Congressman Gonzales' amendment, supported by the entire San Antonio congressional delegation, directs the Department of War to take into account San Antonio's well-established military infrastructure and geographical strengths in ongoing considerations by the Pentagon to consolidate United States Army North and United States Army South into a newly formed Western Hemisphere Command.
Congressman Gonzales has led related legislative initiatives that passed through the United States House of Representatives in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act regarding the Western Hemisphere Command. Congressman Gonzales' amendment, supported by the entire San Antonio congressional delegation, directs the Department of War to take into account San Antonio's well-established military infrastructure and geographical strengths in ongoing considerations by the Pentagon to consolidate United States Army North and United States Army South into a newly formed Western Hemisphere Command.
