US Army Reserve soldiers receive an overview of Washington D.C. as part of the 4th Annual Day with the Army Reserve May 25, 2016. The event was led by the Private Public Partnership office. (U.S. Army/Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Walker)
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is sending 1,000 Army soldiers and 500 Marines to the Southern border, alongside military aircraft as the Pentagon moves out on its new orders to bolster its presence near Mexico.
“This is just the beginning,” Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses wrote in an announcement. “In short order, the department will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS [the Department of Homeland Security], federal agencies, and state partners to address the full range of threats outlined by the President at our nation’s borders.”
There are already roughly 2,500 military personnel along the border supporting the US Customs and Border Protection mission, so today’s announcement brings the total up to around 4,000 troops deployed on American soil.
Following the announcement, a senior defense official and military official briefed reporters in the Pentagon on the plan. Those additional troops are already enroute, they said, and will be helping out with the ongoing missions and emplacing barriers. Aircraft including C-130s and C-17s are also on their way to help deport individuals being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Other assets, such as drones, are also under consideration to be sent to the border, the senior military official added, as are additional troops. Several news outlets have reported that the number of personnel could soar towards 10,000, but the military official said no final decision has been made yet.
Pentagon leaders have not yet had to pull troops away from other missions outside of the US for this one or trade future mission readiness, the military official added. However, if the Trump administration decides additional personnel are needed along the Southwest border, that may become a factor for consideration, the military official added.
Today’s announcement comes as Trump begins enacting a series of campaign promises. Just hours after being sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, for example, he issued a presidential action declaring a national emergency on the Southern border and then an executive action calling on the Pentagon to clarify the military’s role “protecting the territorial integrity of the United States.” In that order, he gave the secretary of defense 10 days to deliver a Unified Command Plan tasking US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) with the border mission.
Then, following delivery of that plan, NORTHCOM head Gen. Gregory Guillot will be given an additional 30 days to craft a commander’s estimate of just what it will take to seal the border.
“President Trump directed action from the Department of Defense on securing our nation’s borders and made clear he expects immediate results. That is exactly what our military is doing under his leadership,” Salesses wrote in his memo.
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