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Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed on Friday plans for a new National Guard base camp near the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, designed to house up to 1,800 troops.
During a press conference, Abbott said, “[W]e are building a new Texas Military Department base camp that allows the Texas National Guard to increase and improve operations in this area. Texas would not be able to respond to President Biden’s border crisis without the brave men and women of the Texas National Guard, and it is essential to build this base camp for them.” He emphasized that the facility would bolster the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Texas Military Department soldiers stationed in Eagle Pass.
The initiative aims to consolidate the efforts of the Texas National Guard, previously dispersed across the region in less than ideal conditions. Governor Abbott said, “This will increase the ability for a larger number of Texas Military Department soldiers in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and efficiently. Before now, the Texas National Guard had been scattered across this entire region in cramped quarters, away from fellow soldiers, and sometimes traveling long distances to do their job. This base camp is going to dramatically improve conditions for our soldiers.”
The base, encompassing 80 acres, is designed to initially accommodate 1,800 soldiers with the capacity to expand for an additional 500 troops. The construction of the base includes several phases, with an additional 300 beds to be added every 30 days, aiming for the first phase to be completed by April.
According to Maj. General Suelzer, the head of the Texas Military Department, the base will feature three command posts, weapons storage rooms, and a helicopter pad. This development is part of Texas’s response to what is described as the “open border chaos” under the Biden Administration.
