Louisiana lawmaker Urges Sen. Kennedy to Seek New military base

Louisiana state lawmakers are positioning Central Louisiana as an ideal landing spot for a massive, city-sized military installation proposed by the federal government, KALB reported.

The Push for the Next Great American Base

On Wednesday, October 28, Louisiana U.S. Senator John Kennedy met with regional leaders at the Randolph Riverfront Center in Alexandria to deliver a federal issues update. During the question-and-answer session, Vernon Parish State Representative Charles “Chuck” Owen, who chairs Louisiana’s Committee on Military Affairs, urged the senator to advocate for the state to host the proposed Next Great American Base.

The Department of War introduced the project in a September 30 letter issued by the Secretary of War. The planned installation, dubbed the Next Great American Base, is slated to span between 100,000 and 250,000 acres. At 250,000 acres, the installation would be larger than Dallas, Texas, as the census shows, at 339.7 square miles (217,408 acres).

According to the Department of War, the installation would house up to 25,000 service members and remain entirely self-sufficient, and would “counter compounding multidomain threats and provide a posture for rapid global power projection.”

Existing Infrastructure and Local Arguments

Representative Owen pointed to Vernon Parish’s existing relationship with Fort Polk as a natural fit for the criteria. He noted that the Department of Defense previously annexed 50,000 extra acres in the parish 10 years ago.

“It’s not that we need another base, but 10 years ago, the Department of Defense came and took 50,000 extra acres from us in Vernon Parish,” Owen said. “They’ve already got 250,000 there. That’s what Secretary Hegseth said they wanted.”

The lawmaker emphasized that Fort Polk has experienced downsizing, dropping from 16,000 soldiers down to about eight, and now it’s at six. Proponents argue that utilizing this existing footprint would capitalize on already federally annexed land while reinvigorate the fluctuating populace of Fort Polk.

Eligibility criteria for the project require evaluating land availability, implementation capacity, military mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, and costs to the nation. Central Louisiana advocates argue that regional partnerships with Fort Polk and growing federal involvement at England Airpark in Rapides Parish meet those demands.

Congressional Hurdles and Funding Debate

Senator Kennedy offered immediate support when pressed by Owen, though he noted the broader political landscape surrounding defense spending. Securing the necessary federal budget expansion faces significant hurdles in Washington.

Kennedy pointed out that while expanding defense spending is necessary to compete globally with foreign nations like Russia and China, congressional Democrats remain opposed to increasing the defense budget until the president does what they want to do in Iran.

State governors face a deadline in the spring of 2027 to submit applications and pitches for the Next Great American Base, with a final site selection slated for June. Representative Owen plans to bring formal discussions on the proposal to the Louisiana Legislature when it reconvenes on April 12, 2027.