Houston is among the cities vying to become the next home of U.S. Africa Command, one of the Defense Department's six regional military headquarters.

Texas lawmakers, city officials and local business leaders hope Houston's low cost of living and many diplomatic and economic ties to the African continent will persuade the Pentagon to move AFRICOM from its current base in Germany to Ellington Field in Houston.

If the bid is successful, it would bring hundreds of jobs -- and a four-star general -- to the city.

AFRICOM led initial operations in Libya before NATO took over. Its presence at Ellington would boost Houston's strategic importance at a time when the U.S. is strengthening military partnerships in Africa as part of its proxy war against al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab in Somalia.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, has offered language in the Military Construction Appropriations Bill requiring a transparent process to the selection of AFRICOM's permanent headquarters.

The language would not allow funds to be appropriated for a permanent AFRICOM headquarters overseas until the Pentagon analyzes the costs of establishing a permanent location in another country versus in the U.S. The bill has passed the Senate and is in conference in the House of Representatives.

Other members of the Texas Congressional delegation are mobilizing behind Ellington, as well. Republican congressmen from Houston, Pete Olson and John Culberson, are drafting a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that will outline the benefits of Houston hosting AFRICOM. They're hoping to get the entire Houston delegation to sign it.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, already sent a letter to Panetta Nov. 10, advocating for Ellington as "the future headquarters of U.S. Africa Command."

'A long way'

Mario Diaz, director of the Houston Airport System, confirmed that his department and the city of Houston are in discussions and hopeful that an agreement can be reached to bring AFRICOM to Ellington, but he cautioned: "We are a long way from being at that point.

"There are a lot of people, including myself who are working to make it happen," Diaz said. "It would be good for the Houston Airport System and Houston."

For now, AFRICOM has no immediate plans to move from Germany. The Office of the Secretary of Defense is studying the strategic, operational and fiscal factors involved in determining where the command should be located in the long term. When the study is complete, Panetta will decide on a permanent home for AFRICOM, which has 2,100 personnel and administrative responsibility for military support to U.S. government policy in 54 African nations.

The location of AFRICOM headquarters has been the subject of debate since the announcement of its formation in 2007. European Command, which previously oversaw missions in most African nations, provided staff and space for AFRICOM in 2008, but then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates deferred the headquarters basing decision until 2012. Immediately, members of Congress began to eye AFRICOM as a potential boon for their districts.

Other cities competing for AFRICOM include Charleston S.C., Norfolk, Va., and Atlanta. And given that two commands -- Southern Command and Central Command -- already operate in Florida, the Sunshine State could be a contender, too.

Another shuttle?

Some observers say the diminished political clout of Texas could foil Houston's chances, with AFRICOM going the way of the city's failed try for a retired space shuttle.

"If you think of Governor Perry and his anti-Washington rhetoric, and then think about an appeal like this, or one for the shuttle, or for any other major benefit, the question would be why they would do it?" said Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "I think it's very difficult from a political perspective to argue day after day after day that the federal government is out of control and the administration is driving the country to wrack and ruin, but oh by the way, we want the next major plum."

The bid for AFRICOM is part of a larger renewal project at Ellington, a former World War I airbase that now is a high-tech facility where Army, Navy and Marine Reserve units, along with Army and Air National Guard, train and drill for missions overseas.

Thanks to a recent $100 million construction project, the number of military personnel stationed at the base has jumped from 1,500 three years ago to more than 6,000 today.

Ties to Africa

A prestigious active-duty command such as AFRICOM would seal Ellington's rejuvenated reputation and help protect it from future budget-driven base closures, said John Martinec, director of the Ellington Field Task Force, a regional committee within the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership.

"It's the type of thing we've been dreaming for," Martinec said.

Jeff Moseley, president and CEO of another economic development organization, Greater Houston Partnership, touted the city's links to Africa.

Houston is home to 11 African consular offices and 209 businesses that operate on the continent. The airport system offers nonstop flights to cities in Nigeria and Angola.

Another argument in favor of Houston is the growing involvement of local reservists in Africa. During the past year, the Army Reserve's 75th Mission Command Training Division at Ellington has participated in 10 training missions in far-flung corners of Africa, from Djibouti to Swaziland to Liberia. Most recently, the division sent 25 service members to Tanzania in August to train U.S. and African forces in humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Thirteen more such missions are scheduled over the next year and a half.

