On June 1, Texas Governor Greg Abbott welcomed the first 300 Texas National Guard soldiers to the new Forward Operating Base Eagle in Eagle Pass. The base is part of the state’s $11-billion border initiative to enhance border security and reduce the reliance on public hotels for housing soldiers.
The base, which will eventually house up to 2,200 Texas National Guard soldiers, is designed to improve the efficiency of soldiers’ operations and reduce travel times to the border. According to Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, the base will also serve as the new location for the Texas Military Headquarters, currently based in McAllen.
During the press conference, Governor Abbott highlighted the success of Operation Lone Star, which has resulted in 512,300 migrant apprehensions and over 43,400 criminal arrests, with more than 38,200 felony charges. He also emphasized the importance of the base in reducing taxpayer expenses, stating that once fully occupied, the base will save critical taxpayer dollars each month on housing soldiers.
The base is phase 0 — “(Shape): Setting the stage for military operations” — of a six-phase project. The remaining five phases, expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, are as follows:
- Phase I (Deter): Determining potential adversaries
- Phase II (Seize Initiative): Gaining the upper hand
- Phase III (Dominate): Achieving a decisive victory
- Phase IV (Stabilize): Stabilizing the situation
- Phase V (Enable Civil Authority): Transitioning to civilian control
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