Service
December 3, 2025
Union Pacific Strengthens Military Readiness as Coast-to-Coast Network Advances
For more than 160 years, Union Pacific has helped keep America’s military mission ready, moving the equipment, supplies and technology that support national defense across our 23-state network. This robust relationship will only get stronger as the merger with Norfolk Southern advances, creating a more agile, fluid supply chain.
“Civil War veterans helped lay our first tracks and today nearly one in five of our employees has served in uniform or currently serves in the National Guard or Reserves,” said Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific’s executive vice president - Marketing and Sales. “That shared sense of discipline, teamwork and focus is part of who we are. It shapes how we think, how we operate and how we serve.”
Every year, thousands of Union Pacific rail cars carry Humvees, helicopters, Abrams tanks, fuel and food, linking inland bases to ports in California, Louisiana and the Pacific Northwest, as well as major Great Lakes facilities. Union Pacific also remains the only U.S. carrier with access to all six gateways into and out of Mexico, giving the Department of Defense critical reach when timing is tight and stakes are high.
Fort Riley in Kansas offers one of the clearest examples of Union Pacific’s deep partnership with the military. Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the railroad helped expand the base’s rail loading capacity with 33,000 feet of new track. It’s a $15 million investment that transformed how quickly the base can deploy. Before the project, Fort Riley could move about 100 rail cars in 24 hours. Today, it can pre-build multiple trains and deploy an entire brigade up to 700 cars in less than two days. That’s readiness in action.
The union with Norfolk Southern will further strengthen Union Pacific’s impact on the military. The nation’s first coast-to-coast rail will create a more predictable flow for bases, manufacturers and ports across 43 states. By reducing handoffs between carriers and removing bottlenecks, cargo will move with greater agility, reliability and predictability.
“When we connect the coasts, we connect the country,” said Rocker. “That means faster, simpler, more secure movement for our military partners.”
For Union Pacific, moving military freight has always meant more than moving goods. It is a responsibility rooted in history and carried forward by the people who ensure the railroad operates with precision every day. Union Pacific will keep investing in the people, technology and infrastructure that make our network strong.