Maybe Kim Jong-un was on to something. The leader of North Korea shocked Central Texans in 2013 when he put the city of Austin on his country’s so-called Map of Death, and now we may know why: Last Friday, the U.S. Army announced that it will open its Futures Command in our fair city, as part of “the most significant reorganization of the institutional Army since 1973,” when it created the Forces Command and the Training and Doctrine Command following the Vietnam War. The Army hopes the Futures Command can “lead the Army’s future force modernization enterprise,” and will be responsible for assessing future operational environments, emerging threats, and new technologies “in order to deliver” concepts, requirements, future force designs, and material solutions to meet modern wartime needs. About 500 military personnel are expected to move into UT-Austin’s Downtown high-rise, at 210 W. Seventh. Expect a whole slew of defense contractors to open offices in the area, too.

This article appears in July 20 • 2018.

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