The Defense Department (DOD) will send about 3,750 more Active Duty Troops to the US-Mexico Border for a 90-day Deployment in Support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), though the Service-by-Service Deployment Breakdown has not been determined, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Confirmed to Air Force Magazine on Feb. 4th.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan Approved the Deployment on Jan. 11th, according to a Feb. 3rd OSD Statement.
This round of DOD Support at the Border will include "mobile surveillance capability through the end of September 2019, as well as the emplacement of approximately 150 miles of concertina wire between ports of entry,” according to the Statement.
DOD will continuously assess Mission-Specific Force-Composition needs, it continued.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA, 9th District), first broke the News of a Planned influx of Troops at the Border, citing a 3,500 figure, in a Jan. 31st Press Release about a Letter he sent to Shanahan criticizing Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, John Rood, for Leaving Details about an Active Duty Border Surge out of his Jan. 29th House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Testimony on DOD Border Support.
“At best this was an error in judgement, at worst this was knowingly withholding information from this committee as it performs its oversight responsibility," Smith wrote.
Approximately 2,250 National Guard Troops are also at the Border as part of Operation Guardian Support, OSD said, with about 150 of those coming from the Air National Guard, the National Guard Bureau confirmed to Air Force Magazine.
Active Duty and Guard Deployments to the Border will continue through the End of Fiscal 2019, September 30th, 2019.
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