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Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
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economy

Texas Military Installations, 2025 Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth

Background

Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth, formerly known as Carswell Air Force Base, is located several miles northwest of downtown Fort Worth and was originally established in 1941.1 The installation provides joint training capability and resources to enable warfighter and combat readiness, while simultaneously providing for the personal and family needs of personnel during training.2

It is home to 40 commands, including

  • Commander and Navy Information Forces Reserve, which operates 28 Joint Reserve Intelligence Centers nationally.3
  • headquarters for the 10th Air Force, and
  • the Fleet Logistics Support Wing.

Notably, these commands include 13 logistics squadrons that accrue more than 40,000 hours of flight time each year. The installation also hosts the 301st Fighter Wing, a Reserve unit with over 2,000 personnel.

The Fort Worth installation is a significant hub for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LMCO) and owns Air Force Plant 4, which LMCO uses to manufacture military aircraft.4  LMCO has approximately 49,000 combined direct and indirect workers in Fort Worth and generates a regional economic impact in Fort Worth of $9 billion.5 In Texas, LMCO has  25,579 direct employees and generates $17 billion in sales6.

Economic Impact

As of 2025, this installation is home to 4,553 direct employees, including 2,175 active-duty military personnel. It also has 40,000-plus military retirees accessing the installation, camp facilities and resources. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates the population directly affiliated with NAS JRB Fort Worth contributed at least $4.6 billion to the Texas economy in 2025.7

The Comptroller’s office and the Texas Military Preparedness Commission collected economic data from each of the state’s 14 U.S. military installations. This data was collected using a survey designed to ensure consistency in determining the total direct and indirect contribution of the base’s populations to state-level employment, gross domestic product, output and disposable personal income (Exhibit 1).8

Exhibit 1: Estimated Total Contribution of NAS JRB Fort Worth to the Texas Economy, 2025
Exhibit 1:
Estimated Total Contribution of NAS JRB Fort Worth to the Texas Economy, 2025
Contribution Value
Total direct employment9 4,553
Total employment (direct & indirect)10 21,266
Output11 $4,656,000,000
Gross domestic product12 $2,750,000,000
Disposable personal income13 $2,156,000,000

Source: Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) - model for Texas


The Comptroller’s economic impact analysis represents a conservative estimate of the  importance of the Fort Worth installation to Texas. Each installation’s distinctive characteristics contribute to the Texas economy in different ways. This analysis uses a consistent model to determine the impact of each of the state’s military installations on the state’s economic growth.

Employment and Other Populations
Exhibit 2:
Employment and Other Populations
Contribution Value
FULL-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Active-Duty Army 13
Active-Duty Navy 943
Active-Duty Air Force 137
Active-Duty Marine Corps 762
Active-Duty Coast Guard 0
Active-Duty-National Guard/Reserve 320
Full-Time Employees Not Listed Elsewhere 0
FULL-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL
Appropriated 582
Non-Appropriated 347
PART-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Reserve 373
Navy Reserve 3,044
Air Force Reserve 1,340
Marine Corps Reserve 1,312
Coast Guard Reserve 0
PART-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL
Appropriated 0
Non-Appropriated 0
OTHER
Contractors, Total (staff) 235
Average Daily Student Load 30+
TOTALS
Total Direct FTE Employment 4,553
Number of Dependents 7,681
Total Indirect FTE Employment 16,713

Source: Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth


  1. Military Installations, “Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth& (Last Visited May 1, 2026)
  2. Commander Navy Region Southeast, “NAS JRB Forth Worth” (Last Visited May 1, 2026)
  3. Moulton, Tom, “How JRICs Can Be an Asset in Strategic Competition,” (Last Visited May 4, 2026).
  4. EPA.gov, “AIR FORCE PLANT #4 (GENERAL DYNAMICS) FORT WORTH, TX,” (Last Visited May 4, 2026).
  5. Adams, Matthews, “Pete Hegseth gives fiery ‘warrior’ speech to Lockheed Martin workers in Fort Worth,” (Last Visited May 4, 2026).
  6. Economic Impact and Workforce Development are driving growth and innovation in Texas (PDF) (Last Visited May 4, 2026).
  7. This study represents an analysis of the economic impact of the population and employees directly affiliated with the base. This includes active-duty, visiting, and other military personnel, dependents, civilian employees and contractors directly affiliated with the base – as reported in documents emailed from NAS JRB Fort Worth to B. Keith Graf, Texas Military Preparedness Commission, March 2026.
  8. Estimate inputs and assumptions include the following: (1) all data submitted are for 2025; (2) input includes full-time, permanent employees and a full-time equivalent (FTE) for any part-time employees; (3) dependents are associated with NAS JRB Fort Worth only; (4) all economic impact is within Texas.
  9. “Total direct employment” refers to both actual full-time and full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees plus contractors. For part-time employees, their FTE is calculated based on their hours divided by the standard 40-hour work week.
  10. “Total employment” refers to both direct and indirect employment, meaning “total direct employment” as noted above plus any indirect employees such as temporary contractors.
  11. “Output” refers to the total value of all goods and services (both final and intermediate) produced in Texas. Intermediate goods are those used to produce final goods. Sugar, for example, would be an intermediate good when used in the production of candy (final good) by candy companies.
  12. “Gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas.
  13. “Disposable personal income” refers to post-income-tax income.