Congressman Gonzalez to Join Army Under Secretary Visit to CCAD, Advocate for Coastal Bend Workforce

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C.—On Friday, March 6, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) will join Under Secretary of the Army Michael Obadal on a visit to the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) to discuss concerns over significant reductions in the depot’s workforce and workload. Ahead of the visit, the Congressman sent a letter to the Administration inquiring about the facility’s future helicopter maintenance schedule and the status of an expected $174 million federal investment.

“...despite the more than 2,500 highly skilled workforce and the vital importance of this depot to America’s national security, the amount of work assigned to the depot and the number of people employed there has dramatically dropped since 2011,” wrote Congressman Gonzalez. “Should this trajectory continue, the specialized workforce and infrastructure will be lost; once lost, they cannot be quickly or easily reconstituted.”

Over the last eight to 10 years, the number of civilians employed at CCAD has decreased from almost 5,000 workers in 2016 to just over 2,000 workers in 2025. There are two main factors driving this reduction: A reduced demand for helicopter maintenance services due to the Army’s overall shift to drones, and a greater reliance on private companies to do repair work that was traditionally done by facilities like CCAD.

The letter in full can be found here.