CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Army Depot pumps over $1.6 billion into the regional economy, but civilian jobs have been cut in half over the last decade as the military adapts to changing priorities and technology.
According to the South Texas Military Task Force, one financial issue is the UH-60V helicopter modernization program, which assigned CCAD a fixed-price contract despite fluctuating costs.
"That's very important, because that affects community," Mayor Paulette Guajardo said.
District 27 Congressman Michael Cloud is working to address these challenges through the bipartisan Depot Investment Reform Act. The legislation seeks to modernize funding by using prior, current, and projected workload, replacing outdated formulas with a model that reflects real-world demands.
Beyond financial concerns, CCAD faces technological challenges as the Army transitions toward unmanned aircraft systems that could replace some traditional helicopters.
"With technology today, things are changing quickly. We want to make certain that CCAD is ready to transition with the way technology leads us," Guajardo said.
Despite these challenges, the mayor brought back positive news from recent discussions.
"What was confirmed was that the military would be bringing additional investments to sustain the Black Hawk, the Apache and the Chinook platforms with an intent to drive this work towards CCAD," Guajardo said.
Congressman Cloud's office confirms that both the House and Senate are actively moving forward with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2026. The House approved its version on July 18, which includes funding for the Apache Blade Program at CCAD. Meanwhile, senators convened last Thursday to continue their deliberations on the bill.
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