Introduction
El Paso has been home to Fort Bliss for more than a century. The Army post covers more than a million acres and has a total annual local economic impact of $1.7 billion. In cooperation with nearby bases, Fort Bliss has become a major training site, bringing troops and support personnel to the region. Including civilian personnel, military families, and retirees, Fort Bliss is community of almost 118,000 people. Moreover, as troops return from combat and closing military bases abroad, Fort Bliss is poised to expand.

Fort Bliss procures about $80 million in products and services annually. The base also has unique research and training facilities, where developers of military products can conduct testing of new technologies. Nearby academic and government research facilities supply scientific expertise, and El Paso's extensive transportation infrastructure allows manufacturers to ship products quickly and efficiently. With Fort Bliss' unique military value, El Paso has yet to reach its full potential as a hub for military research and development.

Fort Bliss: A Unique Military Research & Development Site
Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, and Holloman Air Force Base cover an area the size of the state of Connecticut, comprising the Defense Department's largest controlled airspace and the only place in the world where every Army weapon system can be fired. The base's unique facilities and instrumentation make it an ideal site for the development, testing, and training requirements of complex military systems.

Defense firms regularly use Fort Bliss as a resource for research, development, and testing of new products. Advanced data interoperability allows military researchers and trainers to fuse weapons data, positional information, and range and commercial data to support real-time simulations and generate after-action reports. The region's varied terrain, including mountains, desert, and forest, allows rigorous testing in a variety of settings.

With vast military facilities and seasoned researchers at nearby academic centers and laboratories, El Paso is a natural home to defense industry research and development. High-tech military firms can draw from the expertise of the large academic research centers nearby. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where annual research expenditures exceed $28 million, has research centers involved in defense research and technology transfer projects. For example, the University's Institute for Manufacturing & Materials Management helps manufacturers convert defense-related technologies to civilian production. In 2003, UTEP had an overall $2.9 million in Defense Department contracts in 2003.

Forty miles away is New Mexico State University, which had more than $24 million in Defense Department contracts in 2004, including aerospace and missile defense projects. Other nearby laboratories, such as Los Alamos Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and the Army Research Laboratory, have long been critical in U.S. weapon system development.

Military Manufacturing
Having a unique testing facility and academic centers in one location allows defense systems companies to consolidate operations and complete more of their research, development, and production all in one place. It just makes sense for military research, development and production to be based near the most versatile testing facility in the world.

Fort Bliss' central location and updated rail, truck, and air facilities make an ideal setting for shipping and receiving military systems. El Paso' $60 million air cargo facility is the largest and most complex on the U.S.-Mexico border, giving manufacturers quick access to worldwide markets.

El Paso's location on the U.S.-Mexico border also would be a boon to defense contractors. Maquiladoras across the border supply a skilled labor market, already trained in the mechanics and manufacturing needed for high-tech fabrication of products. Increasingly efficient border traffic allows manufacturers in the U.S. to access just-in-time manufacturing in Mexico. The city's location is ideal for taking advantage of shorter supply lines between research facilities, testing locations, and manufacturing operations. Shorter supply lines are less vulnerable to attack or tampering and are less costly to secure.

Patriot-missile maker Raytheon and aerospace giant Boeing already have substantial operations in El Paso. Raytheon recently tested a new low-cost Patriot missile system at Fort Bliss, supported by soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery. Professional soldiers tested the missiles during a successful simulation drill in which two Patriots were launched to intercept two low-flying target drones.

Boeing operates a "Strategic Manufacturing Center" in El Paso that for years helped build the Air Force's B-1B long-range bomber. Now, Boeing takes advantage of the city's skilled labor pool to run a versatile manufacturing facility that specializes in manufacturing and production projects for the Department of Defense and NASA.

Training Troops

Texas is home to 18 military installations which comprise 11 percent of the nation's military forces. A total of 13,200 active-duty military personnel are based at Fort Bliss. If the Defense Department's realignment proposals are approved and implemented, Fort Bliss could see that number more than double over the next few years. The unique training value of Fort Bliss is apparent to the Department of Defense, as they propose to transfer as many as 20,000 new troops to El Paso.

El Paso's dry climate and mild winters are ideal for military training. Pilots see an average of 340 flying days a year. The base has the country's largest block of restricted airspace and its ranges can accommodate every Army weapon system. Nearby White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base offer opportunities to collaborate on large joint training maneuvers.

Fort Bliss and White Sands have long been at the forefront of research and training on interoperability among the services. Fort Bliss is home to the Army Air Defense Center, which hosts more than 2,500 military representatives from approximately 30 countries for air defense artillery training.

Every other year, Fort Bliss hosts "Roving Sands," the world's largest joint theater air and missile defense exercise. In this multinational training event, 15,000 soldiers from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and several foreign countries perform joint training missions.

The Fort Bliss Community

As one of the Army's Power Projection Platforms, Fort Bliss plays a vital role in preparing and mobilizing forces for high-priority worldwide deployment. Since September 11, 2001, Fort Bliss has served as a major base for deploying soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq. The base and the city enjoy a strong relationship. For example, the two have recently collaborated to build a $72 million desalination plant to convert brackish groundwater into potable water. The plant will sit on Fort Bliss but be operated by the city of El Paso. The plant is an important infrastructure investment to prepare the area for population growth.

And Fort Bliss is poised to expand, bringing further benefits to the surrounding community. The base has potential to grow substantially by absorbing returning troops from downsized military posts overseas as well as domestic base closings. One Pentagon proposal has called for a doubling of troops at Fort Bliss by housing troops returning from Army bases in Germany and South Korea. This expansion could even include troops from services other than the Army--the base already hosts a small Marine Corps unit. Fort Bliss has plenty of land and the capacity to build low-cost facilities to accommodate additional troops. And the base's focus on younger cavalry troops should attract the next generation of soldiers to settle in the El Paso area.

A growing military community will bring more high-paying jobs to the El Paso area. Growth will require new federal contracts (and jobs) to build the houses, roads, schools, and other infrastructure needed to support additional troops. For example, the Texas governor already has pledged about $16 million in state funds for an overpass to provide a better link between Fort Bliss and adjacent Biggs Army Airfield. Currently, Fort Bliss is only able to house about 40 percent of its 12,000 personnel. With additional troops, the El Paso housing market could see a huge expansion.

As a first step in the expansion, Fort Bliss is scheduled to add 3,800 additional troops by 2006. The new troops will support an estimated 3,400 new jobs and $447 million in extra payroll. This movement of troops will infuse an estimated $524 million into the El Paso economy each year.

Conclusion

Fort Bliss is already a driving force for El Paso's economy, with a growing community of troops and support personnel. As a unique research, testing, and training facility, Fort Bliss is a location where defense firms can situate research and fabrication operations all in one place. Using existing rapid supply lines and skilled workers in El Paso and Juarez, military contractors can take advantage of Fort Bliss' unique value while serving just-in-time manufacturing needs nationwide.