How will an independent Texas defend itself?

Texas has always shown a belief in a strong national defense, with a focus on threats to the safety and security of Texans at home. An independent Texas has little in the way of conventional national security concerns. The threat of a combined land, air, and sea invasion is next to non-existent. But threats do still exist. There is the threat of the cartels and violence spilling over our border with Mexico as well as the threat of international terrorists using that same border to execute attacks on civilian targets within Texas. In addition, there are always threats that could upset international stability. While these are often met with the combined military might of the western world, an independent Texas would be ready and willing to do its part.

The bulk of Texas national defense will be concentrated on three key areas: strengthening the borders against national security risks, defense against attack from international state actors, and supporting military actions of allies that are congruent with our strategic objectives.

Start with what is already here. Defense spending in Texas runs $47 to $72 billion a year; the 2023 figure was $71.6 billion, the most of any state in the country, anchored by Lockheed Martin's F-35 line in Fort Worth and a vast installed base that includes Fort Cavazos, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Bliss, and the Air Force training wings. An independent Texas would not try to copy Washington's $874 billion global-hegemon budget. It would defend Texas. Benchmarked to capable middle powers, Australia funds its entire military for about $29 billion and Israel for about $31 billion, while the NATO target of 2 percent of GDP would give Texas roughly $55 billion a year, two percent of its $2.77 trillion economy. A budget in the Australia-Israel range would rank Texas among the world's top fifteen militaries. And if Texas chose to keep the full $72 billion the federal government already spends on defense inside the state, it would rank around sixth or seventh in the world, at the level of Britain, Germany, or France, and several times Mexico's budget. Any of these funds an active force well over 200,000. For perspective, more than 150,000 Texans already serve on active duty today, and over 200,000 are in uniform across all components. Building on the Texas Military Department that already exists, Texas would grow the TMD into a national defense capable of meeting any real threat to the safety and security of Texans.