AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The above video is a KVUE report from 2019.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced a new round of grants totaling $16.3 million from the Texas Military Preparedness Commission's Defense Economic Adjustment Assistant Grant (DEAAG) program. The grants assist military communities across Texas that may be positively or negatively impacted by any future Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.
According to the governor's office, the funds will be invested in infrastructure projects and other initiatives to "increase the military value of these installations" in Texas and protect jobs in the communities.
Austin is considered a military community because Army Futures Command is headquartered in the city. Austin Community College will receive $4,985,070 of the grant funds for a software factory and innovation center with Army Futures Command.
"Now more than ever as our economy rebounds, support for our military communities in Texas and the jobs they create is vital," Abbott said. “Not only are the 15 major military installations and Army Futures Command in Texas critical to our nation’s defense, they also add over $123 billion to the state’s economy and support, directly and indirectly, more than 633,000 jobs in communities across this great state."
The other entities receiving DEAAG reimbursements in the 2020-21 fiscal year are:
- Val Verde County – $2,465,447; airfield lighting update at Laughlin Air Force Base
- City of El Paso – $4,500,000; aquifer storage and recharge supporting Fort Bliss
- City of Abilene – $1,888,700; flight line security at Dyess Air Force Base
- City of Corpus Christi – $901,952; replace natural gas system at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
- Val Verde County – $1,576,433.; additional aircraft sunshades at Laughlin Air Force Base
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