SIERRA VISTA — Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema today toured Fort Huachuca and received briefings on the Fort’s military intelligence and Unmanned Aerial Systems. She also met with local leaders and the Huachuca 50 group in Sierra Vista and discussed the need to protect military projects at the Fort.
“Fort Huachuca is critical to America’s military readiness and is the largest employer in Cochise County. We’re working with leaders at Fort Huachuca and in the Sierra Vista community to strengthen and expand the important missions at the base and ensure veterans get the care they earned,” Sinema said.
During today’s events at Fort Huachuca, Sinema received briefings on military intelligence, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and CBP Air Marine Operations. After leaving Fort Huachuca, Sinema met with Sierra Vista leaders including Larry Portouw, President of Huachuca 50, Jennifer Smith, Association of the US Army Chapter President, Rachel Gray, Sierra Vista Mayor Pro Tem, and Chuck Potucek, Sierra Vista City Manager.
Fort Huachuca is the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Center of Excellence, producing top Army intelligence Soldiers and officers. Fort Huachuca is home to the largest unmanned aircraft system training center in the world, with over 350,000 square feet of training space, four hangars, and 24-hour operational capacity, training more than 1,300 students annually. Unmanned aircraft systems are controlled by pilots on the ground and are used by the Army to obtain surveillance and save Soldiers’ lives who would otherwise perform the mission from inside the aircraft. Fort Huachuca is also home to the Army’s Tactical Electronic Warfare Operations Course.
Fort Huachuca is the largest employer in Cochise County and it has the largest economic impact of any military installation in Arizona. In 2017, Arizona estimated Fort Huachuca is directly or indirectly responsible for more than 21,000 jobs, nearly $1 billion in wages, and $2.9 billion in output. In 2016, Fort Huachuca had a population of about 5,000 active duty servicemembers, 7,400 military family members, and 6,800 civilian employees.