SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Army North officially ended operations at Fort Sam Houston on Wednesday after the Army inactivated the command as part of a Defense Department reorganization that consolidates multiple commands into a new Western Hemisphere Command headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Army leaders marked the closure during a 75-minute “casing of the colors” ceremony at Fort Sam Houston, formally inactivating the command, which traces its history to 1942 and had been headquartered in San Antonio for decades.
“It was an incredible honor to serve as your commander,” Army North commander Lt. Gen. Allan Pepin said during the ceremony.
The Army previously inactivated U.S. Army South in May. The two San Antonio-based commands are being merged with Forces Command to create the Western Hemisphere Command.
The restructuring is part of a Defense Department initiative to reduce the number of headquarters and senior leadership positions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the changes are intended to streamline the military’s command structure.
Army North had about 600 military and civilian personnel in San Antonio. Approximately 160 positions are expected to remain in the city, while about 60 positions from Army South’s workforce of roughly 500 personnel will remain.
Army North served as the Army component of U.S. Northern Command and was responsible for homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities. The command was established as the Fifth U.S. Army during World War II and participated in operations in North Africa and Italy.
Army South supported security cooperation, multinational operations, counter-drug missions and humanitarian assistance in Central and South America and the Caribbean under U.S. Southern Command.
Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said the command’s mission would continue under the new organization.
“The deactivation today does not mean the end of this command’s vital mission,” Guillot said. “Rather, it’s a necessary evolution to meet the complex threats of the modern era.”
Army Gen. Joseph Ryan, commander of the new Western Hemisphere Command, described the consolidation as a transformation that will continue Army North’s mission under a new structure.
The inactivation marks San Antonio’s most significant military restructuring since the federal Base Realignment and Closure rounds in 1995 and 2005, which closed or consolidated installations including Kelly Air Force Base and Brooks Air Force Base.