Texas ready to defend its military installations

The city rebounded in the next BRAC round in 1993 when Rep. Pete Geren of Fort Worth and other civic leaders secured the creation of Naval Air Station Fort Worth, replacing Carswell with a joint reserve base that now has 40 tenant commands from multiple services. Navy Capt. Michael J. Steffen took over on Aug. 14 as the installation's 11th commander.
Today, the joint reserve base, established in 1994, is one of the largest employers in North Central Texas, with an on-base workforce of nearly 10,000 and an economic impact of $2.2 billion. The estimate climbs even higher — to $9.26 billion — when coupled with next-door neighbor Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-35 and the F-16.
The base received additional jobs in the last round, in 2005, and defenders like Granger and Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, vow protective vigilance if another BRAC round looms.
"Our Texas delegation will remain watchful and will vigorously support our bases when and if the subject of BRAC is taken up again," Granger said. Veasey said Texas lawmakers "will work in a bipartisan manner to make sure we're minimally impacted."