The Hon. Keith Bass, Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs, recently visited San Antonio to meet with military medical leaders, observe their education and training programs, and tour a facility that could help advance the military medical missions at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA).
Bass toured the South Beach Pavilion at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, along with the leadership of the Military Transformation Task Force (MTTF), to discuss potential renovations to the historic facility. The State of Texas, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio have committed $25 million to renovate the facility to accommodate the administration and operations of the Defense Health Agency.
“San Antonio is proud to be home to Joint Base San Antonio, Brooke Army Medical Center and the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC), reinforcing our position as one of the nation's premier centers for military medicine,” said Jeff Webster, President and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber. “The renovation of the South Beach Pavilion is more than a building project—it is an investment in military readiness, medical innovation and the future of our region.”
Also, during his visit, Bass toured the METC at Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston, where he met with faculty, staff and students responsible for training military medical professionals across all service branches. The visit focused on ensuring the Military Health System remains prepared to support service members and their families around the world.
“San Antonio is ideally suited for expanded military medicine missions because we already have a fully integrated medical ecosystem,” said Webster. “We have a dense concentration of military medical infrastructure, an established talent pipeline, a favorable political environment for mission expansion, and significant cost advantages due to the scalability of current infrastructure and the city’s affordability.”
Webster serves as one of the Tri-Chairs of the MTTF, alongside San Antonio City Councilwoman Misty Spears (District 9) and Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody (Precinct 3). The MTTF is a partnership among the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and the Greater San Antonio Chamber focused on strengthening the region’s role as a national defense hub.
“Not only is San Antonio known as Military City, USA®, but with the continued investments in military medicine here, we are also forging a reputation as Military Medical City, USA,” said Webster.