Military liaison briefs council on Fort Hood changes, local economic opportunities and infrastructure projects

A regional military liaison briefed the Lampasas City Council at the July 2025 workshop on the Army Transformation Initiative and related local impacts, including base economic metrics, infrastructure projects and potential business recruitment opportunities tied to new capabilities.

Why it matters: The presenter said the base’s economic footprint has grown substantially in recent reports and that the installation will pursue projects such as energy resilience and storage — including a battery to pair with an on-base solar farm — to reduce peak-power penalties and support mission needs. The liaison said MidGen Energy will be a project partner for a proposed three-megawatt battery installation intended to store excess solar output for peak-demand use.

The presenter outlined programmatic changes under the Army Transformation Initiative that will change some unit types and equipment at Fort Hood over time. He described expected shifts in aviation squadrons and a move toward more unmanned aerial systems, a return of some heavier armored units (tanks and infantry fighting vehicles) in other formations, and investment in manufacturing capabilities such as 3-D printing. He also discussed training deployments to the National Training Center and effects on local training support.

Discussion and next steps: The briefing was informational; the liaison encouraged local economic-development organizations to prepare to recruit firms that could provide unmanned systems, counter-unmanned systems and advanced manufacturing services for the installation and warned that many details remain undecided, including which specific unmanned systems will be fielded. No council action or funding decision was recorded during the workshop.

Ending: The liaison invited interested local officials or business leaders to follow up for site visits and further briefings.