Encouraging the United States Army to locate the Army Futures Command in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, The United States Army has announced that Philadelphia is one of 15 finalist cities to become the home of the Army Futures Command, which will become the fourth Army Command and will modernize the Army for future conflicts. Creation of the fourth Army Command will be the most significant reorganization effort in the Army since 1973; and

WHEREAS, Army leadership has said that the decision to locate the Army Futures Command in a city stems from a desire to have accessibility to business and academia. Other criteria for a site includes a density of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Research & Development (R&D) talent, a culture of innovation, civic support, and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia excels in each of these criteria and would be an excellent home for the Army Futures Command; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia has the highest concentration of top-100 universities within a 150-mile radius of any city in the nation. The region’s colleges and universities graduate 90,000 students per year, and they rank 6th in the nation in STEM degrees awarded. This benefits the local economy, as companies in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia received $900 million in R&D funding and were issued 175 patents in 2016 alone; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s technology sector trails only Silicon Valley as the fastest-growing technology sector in proportion to total job growth. Companies in Philadelphia fill engineering jobs faster than in any other major metropolitan area in the country. The availability of a young, educated workforce is a major reason why more than 40 Fortune 1000 companies and large international and private companies have their headquarters in the region; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia is proud of its military heritage and very supportive of its veterans. The City is home to the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which was the third VA medical center to be named in honor of a Medal of Honor recipient. The City’s Delaware River waterfront is home to a Korean War Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade and Festival continues to grow and featured more than 150 organizations involving over 3,000 participants last year; and

WHEREAS, From a bustling downtown area to world-class cuisine and entertainment to plenty of recreation opportunities, Philadelphians enjoy a high quality of life. Visitors and locals alike find the City very walkable and accessible. Every weekday, 1.1 million people use public transit in the region; Philadelphians spend the least amount of time in traffic and have the second shortest commutes using public transit among major American cities, increasing productivity and giving them more time to enjoy everything Philadelphia has to offer; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia is proud to have been part of the United States Army’s history since its inception, as the Second Continental Congress approved the Continental Army’s formation in 1775 at Independence Hall. Now, as the Army embarks on a new mission to modernize and innovate, Philadelphia stands ready and eager to play a significant role in the Army’s future; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby encourages the United States Army to locate the Army Futures Command in the City of Philadelphia.

RESOLVED FURTHER, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper.

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