A state lawmaker believes Louisiana would be a great location for the Next Great American Base. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced plans to build “Fortress America” and all locations in the United States may be considered, including former military installations and land that borders existing installations. Vernon Parish state lawmaker Chuck Owen says that description matches what Louisiana can offer.
“They’re looking for about a quarter of a million acres where they can put about 15,000 to 25,000 people. Well, that’s really what we have at Fort Polk right now,” Owen said.
Owen says at one time Fort Polk had 16,000 soldiers, it’s now down to 6,000. He says about 10 years ago, the Department of Defense bought about 50,000 acres from Vernon Parish, so they have the space to build a mega base that can house 25,000 service members.
“We have a military community in Central Louisiana: Alexandria, Leesville, Pineville; all these areas that are very pro-military,” Owen noted.
Each governor will have the opportunity to pitch a proposal to the Department of War for their state to be home for this proposed military installation that would be entirely self-sufficient, meaning it will generate its own power and manage water utilities. Owen says not every state will be interested, but he believes Louisiana should be one of the front-runners to land the Next Great American Base.
“We like the military around here. We’re a patriotic area that’s used to supporting these national missions so yeah, I don’t think they’ll find a more suitable spot than the State of Louisiana,” Owen said.