Leaders from Joint Base San Antonio committed to fixing “uninhabitable” living conditions Tuesday night after several years of transition in the community.
The Greater San Antonio Chamber held its annual reception for commanders of the city’s bases and military leaders within the city Tuesday night to share information about ongoing and future military operations.
At the event, base and local leaders said they’re committed to maintaining San Antonio’s dominance as a military hub.
This year’s ceremony came after a period of change for San Antonio’s military landscape, with U.S. Army North officially shutting in mid-July, following U.S. Army South’s closure in May.
“It’s been a season of change, and it will likely continue to be with JBSA. Obviously, a lot of moving pieces in the Department of War right now,” Precinct 3 Commissioner and U.S. Marine veteran Grant Moody said.
Last October, officials announced that the U.S. Army would move its headquarters of Army North and Army South away from San Antonio’s Fort Sam Houston to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The outgoing commander of Army North, Lt. Gen. Allan Pepin, was honored at the reception.
JBSA is the largest joint base in the U.S. Department of Defense, with more than 80,000 full-time personnel across its garrisons at Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, Randolph and Camp Bullis.
But the loss of Army North and South was a major blow, and leaders acknowledged that the city will have to work to keep its military reputation by employing veterans, supporting the defense industry and renewing partnerships with the business sector.
Last week the city of San Antonio appointed a new director of military and veteran affairs, retired Maj. Gen. Scott Jackson, following the departure of retired Maj. Gen. Juan G. Ayala after 10 years as director.
“The title of Military City USA, just like any title, … it’s earned every single day, and just like a boxing title, you can lose it like that,” Jackson said. “My purpose is to retain that title for all of you.”
The joint base itself recently transitioned to a new commander as well, Brig. Gen. David J. Wilson. He addressed some recent controversy about living standards on base.
Last month, 5,200 currently enlisted students at the Medical Education and Training Campus on Fort Sam Houston were relocated over issues with “continuing infrastructure degradation” in their current housing.
“So the big effort going on in Joint Base San Antonio right now, and you’ve probably read about it in the news, and you’re going to see it for the next couple years, is that we are going to demolish the old METC dorms that we have 6,000 trainees living in,” he said.
The decision for immediate relocation was made after it was determined that problems with “climate control systems” and “foundational defects” could not be adequately addressed with maintenance and ongoing repairs, a JBSA spokesperson said at the time.
“Those dorms were deemed to be uninhabitable. The Secretary of War has an ongoing task force, and they’ve identified them. And we’re moving those trainees out. We’re bedding them down across Lackland and Fort Sam Houston,” Wilson said.
The U.S. Air Force announced last week that it has selected Layton/Gensler as contractors to build the new dormitory complex. They will begin immediately with design and demolition work and they expect to start construction by the end of 2026.
The Pentagon is investing more than $1.2 billion into the project, a JBSA spokesperson said last month.
“It’s going to be fantastic, and it’s going to set the standard for how we do this going forward,” Wilson said. “You have my commitment that there is nothing more important to me than the men and women, the family members, and their kiddos that call Joint Base San Antonio their home. We will not accept less than acceptable living standards.”
The city is still hoping to add military assets to San Antonio. In light of the loss of several hundred jobs associated with the combination and relocation of Army North and South, city leaders are attempting to lure the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to San Antonio from its headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia.
City leaders have also been advocating for funding to replace the existing Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital. A total of $30 million in this year’s federal budget has been allocated toward this cause, and VA Secretary Doug Collins expressed support during recent visit to San Antonio.
“So as San Antonio continues to grow, we have to ensure we are building a community that can support our residents and our military missions. We have to continue investing in reliable infrastructure, our utilities, technology, and other critical resources,” District 9 councilwoman Misty Spears said.
Last summer, JBSA also assumed control of a National Defense Area along the U.S.-Mexico border. The area under the joint base’s administration was further expanded in February, JBSA now manages two zones totaling 400 miles.
Last week, a U.S. Department of Justice opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel expanded the military’s power to arrest migrants both in and around these areas. The military ordinarily cannot enforce civilian law on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act.
The San Antonio Report’s military and veterans coverage is supported by Report for America.
