SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Today, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) announced he is leading a bipartisan effort in Congress to leverage 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.
Specifically, Rep. Gonzales introduced an amendment to H.R. 4016, the FY 26 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which is being considered for floor action in the U.S. House of Representatives next week. The amendment in question earned the support of the entire San Antonio Congressional Delegation and urges the Department of Defense to report to Congress on the mission and command structure of the proposed Western Hemisphere Command, while taking into consideration various factors that make San Antonio a strategic headquarters location for this command.
“San Antonio, which is widely known as Military City USA, is vital to America’s national security interests. From the critical mission sets that take place at Joint Base San Antonio, to our proximity to the U.S. Mexico border, to the cyber capabilities employed at 16th Air Force Wing and NSA Texas, the existing military infrastructure in San Antonio is second to none, and should continue playing a key role in the consolidation of Army North and South into one Western Hemisphere Command,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales. “Thank you to the entire San Antonio delegation for joining me on this critical effort to amend the defense funding bill with this provision.”
To read the amendment text, click here. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Gonzales and supported by U.S. Reps. Castro, Casar, Cuellar, and Roy.
Additional Background
Funding advanced through Congress by Rep. Gonzales for San Antonio’s military installations:
FY25 NDAA:
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston METC Barracks ($77M)
JBSA-Lackland Family Housing Upgrades ($24M)
FY24 NDAA:
JBSA-Lackland Child Development Center ($20M)
JBSA-Lackland Cyber Operations Center ($48M)
JBSA-Lackland (San Antonio) for a new Chapel for America's Airmen ($90M)
JBSA F-16 Mission Training Center Authorization Extension (auth. at $10.8M)
FY23 NDAA:
JBSA-Lackland BMT Recruit Dormitory ($5.4M)
JBSA-Randolph Child Development Center ($29M)
JBSA Ambulance Care Center Replacement (dental) ($58.6M)
FY22 NDAA:
JBSA BMT Recruitment Dorm 7 ($40M)
JBSA BMT Recruitment Dorm 8 ($31M)
JBSA-Lackland Child Development Center ($29M)
JBSA-For Sam Houston Child Development Center ($29M)
JBSA Ambulance Care Center Phase 4 ($35M)
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