Eighmy is president of UTSA. Hamilton is president and CEO of Southwest Research Institute.
DECEMBER 21, 2020 — Recently, the United States Air Force selected San Antonio as one of six finalist communities uniquely equipped to become the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, which conducts operations in, from and to space to defend the nation’s vital interests. We could not agree more with the Air Force’s assessment of our exceptional city.
Modern defense requires integration across military branches, commands, industry and academia, and San Antonio’s already deeply collaborative ecosystem works in support of the Department of Defense’s mission.
Our economy is driven by robust defense, biomedicine and aerospace sectors, and our rich history includes 140 years of U.S. military presence, represented today by 80,000 active-duty personnel. San Antonio’s research community specializes in information security, aerospace, bioscience and technology, all while training the highest quality workforce to fill in-demand technology careers.
More than 20 years ago The University of Texas at San Antonio, the city’s largest public research university, began growing its expertise in cybersecurity. Today, UTSA’s cybersecurity program is recognized as the best in the nation, and more than a dozen research centers and institutes across the university are developing leading solutions to protect governments, businesses and individuals from cyberattacks.
In the National Security Collaboration Center, for example, more than 40 partners in government, industry and academia have created a powerful ecosystem to tackle the nation’s greatest cybersecurity threats on land and in space. Co-located within the NSCC, the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $111-million public-private partnership, is supporting the Department of Energy’s mission to secure the global competitiveness of American manufacturers, who are the leading target for nation-state cyberattacks from foreign adversaries.
These assets are just one piece of the city’s defense ecosystem and cybersecurity is only one advantage San Antonio has over the other five finalists selected on the Pentagon’s short list of potential headquarters for the Space Command.
The city also has a thriving aerospace community. Southwest Research Institute, for example, has best-in-class programs to explore the mysteries of the solar system and to develop instruments and software used in space. This work is boosted by SwRI’s research and development expertise in transportation, chemistry and materials, defense and security, and electronics and automation—all in tandem with the graduate program in physics that it jointly offers with UTSA to prepare students for careers in space physics.
Over decades of leading mission development and operations, Institute scientists and engineers have engaged in more than 50 government and commercial missions to date, including NASA and European Space Agency programs. From building spacecraft and satellites to developing technology and software for use in space, SwRI boasts vast experience in supporting spaceflight and planetary science and would serve as a key resource in expanding the capabilities of the Space Command.
Just south of SwRI, more than 14,000 skilled professionals are developing high-tech solutions in aerospace, defense, global logistics, manufacturing and cybersecurity at Port San Antonio, where the Space Command would be located if our community is chosen. The work underway there builds on San Antonio’s 100-year history of innovation in aircraft modernization and readiness.
The Department of Defense and private-sector firms that directly support it have a large and growing presence on the port’s 1,900-acre technology campus. Today, the port is home to the Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), the Air Force Medical Operations Agency, and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, among other key command operations.
These DoD entities at Port San Antonio are supported by top names in cybersecurity, aerospace and applied technologies—all of which are developing innovative solutions in their sectors. Among many new technologies launched at the port are those that integrate cybersecurity into aircraft platforms and electrical grids.
Additionally, a growing number of firms at the port are on the leading edge combining robotic, artificial intelligence and visual sensor capabilities that enhance safety and productivity in sectors like manufacturing, aviation, energy and defense. All of these and other synergies throughout the campus will offer unparalleled value to the U.S. military as it also seeks to ensure space-based superiority.
Accelerating convergence and collaboration at the port, UTSA is now the organization’s principal academic partner. UTSA’s leading minds are already conducting cutting-edge research in hypersonics, space physics, astrophysics and advanced materials in collaboration with several organizations on the campus.
At the same time San Antonio’s bioscience industry, which has an economic impact of $42 billion, is prepared to support the Space Command. UT Health San Antonio, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, SwRI and UTSA have a proven history of advancing the commercialization of vaccines, therapies and technologies to improve patient health care. In 2019 our local bioscience community conducted more than 1,400 active clinical studies and published 175 U.S. bioscience patents. This expertise will be vital in helping the U.S. prepare for and mitigate biological threats.
To deliver space combat power and defend U.S., ally and partner interests, the Space Command will need a headquarters with reliable and resilient critical infrastructure. San Antonio is answering this call by becoming the first city in the country to make its grid resilient against catastrophic electromagnetic pulses and other threatening worst-case scenarios.
The initiative, co-led by Joint Base San Antonio and the City of San Antonio, includes more than 200 subject matter experts from the DoD, local government, local utilities, the business community and academia. As a result, our city’s resilient capabilities will include energy and water in addition to telecommunications, information technology, food distribution, shelter, health care and transportation.
No city integrates better than San Antonio. Here, we have the resources that will offer Space Command a blank canvas on which to build a transformative operation that will define national defense in the century ahead. Here, higher education institutions, research facilities and the private sector have a proven track record of working with the military to innovate through collaboration—commercializing tech, products and practices that are essential to the Department of Defense—on and above Earth.
San Antonio has the infrastructure and the experience to get the U.S. Space Command’s operations up and running quickly, cost effectively and with truly unique confluence.
Our community is ready to serve.
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At this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusJoin us for a tribute to Willie Velásquez, honoring the legacy of Willie Velásquez, a pivotal figure in shaping the history of Latino and Hispanic participation in the American voting process. Delve into his life and contributions as a champion of Latino voting rights. Moderated by UTSA's Teresa Niño, the event will feature influential voices, including Jane Velásquez, María Antonietta Berriozábal, Dora Oliva, and Anthony Gonzales.
Buena Vista Building, Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
