You may have heard the Apple or Amazon buzz, but there is one major economic development in Austin you may not have gotten the news about. Last summer, the US Army said, “We Want You!” to Austin, Texas, as they made a decision to locate their base for the country’s new high-tech, four-star Army Futures Command here.
The new Command Center will be located in The University of Texas System’s building in downtown Austin and will not only be looking for partners in innovation from the University of Texas’ Cockrell School of Engineering, but from many private sectors as well. In short, the Futures Command is all about developing newer, faster, stronger and better technology for the Army’s future. Many Army defense contracts of old can take decades to work through large corporate systems, and the Army wants to speed up that process with Austin’s young, agile, ambitious and incredibly talented high-tech entrepreneurs.
It’s the perfect symbiotic relationship, as the 500 person Command Center will have access to researchers and academia on UT’s campus as well as an initial relationship with Capital Factory, a co-working space in Austin that houses over 1000 entrepreneurial & start-up tech firms. Federal research grants, development dollars, and high-tech contracts are sure to follow, with an initial modernization budget of as much as $37 billion already awarded to the Army Futures Command (www.defenseone.com).
The Army’s decision to locate in Austin will continue drawing innovative tech companies to Austin as they compete for Army contracts and help the Army implement innovations and modernize their processes. So, when you consider the major tech leaders of the future in Austin, TX, don’t forget to add the US Army to your list!
