Most people assume San Antonio's military presence is permanent.
After all, Joint Base San Antonio has been part of our community for generations. The installations are here. The missions are here. The economic impact is here.
It feels permanent. But nothing is permanent simply because it has been here for a long time.
We often talk about competing for jobs through the lens of corporate headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and research investments. What receives far less attention is the competition happening every day for military missions, federal operations and defense investments. The stakes are just as high.
Joint Base San Antonio, the largest joint base in the Department of War, supports approximately 74,000 direct employees and generates an estimated $53 billion in annual economic impact, according to the Texas Comptroller. Major military missions function much like major corporate operations. They concentrate leadership, technical expertise and economic activity in one place.
Their value reaches far beyond the installation gate. Our military presence fuels major industries shaping San Antonio's future: cybersecurity, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and defense innovation. Here, collaboration among military, academic, research and private-sector institutions, creates capabilities and a security-cleared talent base few regions can replicate.
That advantage did not happen by accident. And it will not sustain itself.
We don't have to imagine what happens when military missions leave. We are living it now. As the Army consolidates Army North and Army South into its new Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, our region is experiencing the impact of mission realignment and the loss of military-related employment and economic activity.
It shows up in our jobs numbers. Our job growth has slowed this year, while other Texas metros keep adding jobs. Losses in federal civilian and defense contractor jobs are part of that story.
That is not a reason to lean less on our military strengths. It is a reason to build more on top of them, and to keep growing beyond them. We are already doing both. So far this year, companies have announced 7,098 new jobs and $4.82 billion in capital investment in our region, led by advanced manufacturing. Protecting our military base and growing our private-sector base are the same strategy.
The conversations happening today around military medicine, cybersecurity, and federal operations are not just about missions. They are about the future of jobs, investment, talent and regional competitiveness.
And there are real opportunities in front of us.
Consider military medicine.
Anchored by Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), the Army Institute of Surgical Research, and a broad military healthcare ecosystem, San Antonio has built a national reputation as a center for military medical training, research and operations. That foundation positions us to attract more military medical functions and personnel to the region.
We are already putting money on the table. The City of San Antonio and Bexar County have each committed $10 million, and the State of Texas added $5 million, to renovate the South Beach Pavilion at Fort Sam Houston. The project would let the Defense Health Agency (DHA) consolidate operations here and could house up to 1,000 of its personnel.
Cybersecurity presents another opportunity, and a real test.
San Antonio's military cyber ecosystem is among the strongest in the nation. Military operations, leading programs at UT San Antonio, private industry and research assets give us a foundation few communities can match. At its center is the 16th Air Force, known as Air Forces Cyber, which leads the Air Force’s cyber, intelligence, and electronic warfare work.
Yet Air Forces Cyber operates out of a building on JBSA-Lackland that is more than 70 years old, with a failing HVAC system and foundation problems.
Port San Antonio has proposed a better path. The Port would build a modern campus for Air Forces Cyber through a partnership with the Air Force, instead of the traditional military construction process. The Port estimates it could deliver the campus in about half the time and for about $1 billion less.
The idea is moving. The Air Force signed an agreement with the Port to explore it, and the Port's board committed $1 million to advance design and financing work. Our congressional delegation has backed the effort across party lines.
But other communities are competing for these same missions.
Our ask: stand behind this proposal. Tell our congressional delegation and Air Force leaders that San Antonio is ready to deliver.
This is where greater:SATX plays a critical role.
Military mission recruitment and retention require the same regional coordination that drives all of our economic development work. We work alongside the City, County, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Port San Antonio, military leaders, higher education and private-sector partners to align priorities to retain and grow missions.
The talent advantage extends beyond the installations themselves. More than 200,000 veterans live in our region, and thousands of transitioning service members choose to remain in San Antonio each year. That is a steady pipeline of experienced talent for employers across the economy.
Our ask to employers: hire transitioning service members and military spouses. USAA’s Honor through Action initiative, including its Meaningful Careers effort that we take part in, is a strong place to start. Every service member we connect to a civilian career strengthens our workforce and the case for keeping missions here. The same ingredients that attract major corporate investment also retain and grow military missions: talent, infrastructure, research capacity, leadership and the ability to execute. That is the work we are doing through MOMENTUM:2030. We are strengthening workforce readiness, site readiness, innovation and regional alignment in ways that support both private investment and military growth.
Leadership positions are not permanent simply because they were earned once. Military missions do not stay because of history. They stay because communities keep giving them reasons to stay.
We have inherited an extraordinary foundation. Our responsibility is to keep investing in the talent, infrastructure, research and partnerships that make San Antonio the right place for military and federal missions to grow.
That is the work ahead of us — and it is work we cannot afford to take for granted.
Sarah Carabias Rush is the President & CEO of greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership.
greater:SATX is investor-funded. If you want to talk about what your company’s investment makes possible, my door is open.