By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON – Starting Aug. 1, up to 1,200 National Guard troops will deploy to the Southwest border with Mexico, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said in a joint announcement with Obama administration officials at the Pentagon here today.

“We’re very pleased to be in support of our interagency partners,” Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley said. The 1,200 troops will support Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

“We’ll make sure that all our Soldiers and Airmen are well-qualified, well-integrated and well-briefed on the mission,” McKinley said.

“We are pleased because along the Southwest border we have had an integration effort of counternarcotics for over two decades, with 300 of our National Guard men and women already working with our interagency partners,” he said, referring to the National Guard’s Counterdrug Program.

The National Guard Counterdrug Program supports local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations and combatant commanders in the fight against illicit drugs and transnational threats to the homeland, Guard officials said.

“The National Guard is there to support the efforts of law enforcement, not to have a direct law enforcement role,” Alan Bersin, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said at the Pentagon briefing. “The National Guard has done that extremely well in the past, and we trust they’ll do so again on this occasion.”

The cost of the deployment of the 1,200 is to be split equally between the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The largest number of troops – 524 – is slated to deploy in Arizona. Meanwhile, an estimated 250 will deploy in Texas, 224 in California and 72 in New Mexico. Additional troops from these states will also serve in command and control or support positions.

The deployment is expected to peak in October and in June, 2011, when CBP anticipates hiring an additional 1,000 agents.

The majority of the Guardmembers will support the Border Patrol with entry identification teams and support ICE with criminal investigative analysts, Defense officials said.

The criminal investigative analysts will assist ICE agents in reducing the flow of illegal bulk currency and weapons from the United States to Mexico.

The National Guardmembers are expected to be volunteers and McKinley said no overseas deployments are affected.

An entry identification team consisting of U.S. Army Soldiers from the National Guard man a post on Johnson Mountain in New Mexico June 17, 2006. The team gathers intelligence about illegal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico and relays it to Border Patrol agents. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON – About 1,200 National Guard troops will support the Department of Homeland Security in enhancing the security of the nation’s Southwest border, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said here Tuesday.

“President Obama … will deploy more than 1,200 National Guard troops to assist the ongoing efforts to secure the border and combat the cartels,” Napolitano said during remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about ongoing DHS initiatives and new strategies to bolster border security and enforce immigration laws.

“The National Guard deployments that have worked throughout the last 20 years … has worked in a very, very coordinated fashion, to the point that it increases our capabilities in such a fashion that it puts more … border patrol agents’ boots on the ground,” David Aguilar, deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said during a panel discussion following Napolitano’s remarks.

“Support from the National Guard – but yet a clear division: them not arresting, not engaging in enforcement activities directly attributed to any illegal crossings of either aliens, narcotics or things of that nature – … has worked out very well,” Aguilar said. “The National Guard … will bring us a tremendous amount of capability in securing our borders.”

DHS works with federal, state, local, tribal and Mexican partners to crack down on border-related crime and smuggling while facilitating legitimate travel and commerce.

Obama has requested $500 million in supplemental funds for enhanced border security and law enforcement activities in addition to the deployment of National Guard troops, according to a DHS fact sheet.

Napolitano announced a slew of additional initiatives on Tuesday that include creating new partnerships with state and local law enforcement, building information-sharing capabilities, enhancing technology, prioritizing the arrest and removal of dangerous criminal aliens and expanding unprecedented law enforcement partnerships with Mexico.

The National Guard successfully supported the border security mission during Operation Jump Start from 2006 to 2008.

The latest mission using 1,200 volunteers drawn from the four border states will provide criminal investigative analysis and entry identification teas in support of Customs and Border Protection for one year.

EITs monitor the border from strategic observation points with state-of-the-art surveillance and detection tactics and technology in support of local law enforcement.

The deployment of National Guard troops is part of a multi-layered effort targeting illicit networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal weapons and money, Guard officials said.

With nearly 470,000 Guardmembers in the 54 states and territories and the District of Columbia, the National Guard is uniquely suited to support homeland defense operations, to include border security missions.

The National Guard is critical to U.S. Northern Command’s mission, Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., the combatant commander told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., March 11, 2010. Renuart is photographed here at the National Guard's 2009 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 20, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Guard is critical to U.S. Northern Command’s mission, the combatant commander told a congressional committee on Thursday.

“National Guard and Reserve forces are critical to [NORTHCOM's] ability to carry out our assigned homeland defense and civil support missions,” Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. said in his 2010 posture statement presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also commands North American Aerospace Defense Command.

“We recognize the National Guard as a fundamental partner in the Total Force and essential to the security and defense of our nation,” he said. “The Air National Guard provides the bulk of NORAD’s operational force for air sovereignty alert missions and is developing additional capabilities in support of domestic requirements.

“The Army National Guard provides all of the manning at our ground-based interceptor sites in support of missile defense requirements. Additionally, the Army National Guard provides the bulk of personnel for ground-based defense capabilities protecting the National Capital Region.”

Stood up in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, NORTHCOM is – in Renuart’s words – “inextricably linked” with NORAD at their shared Colorado Springs, Colo., headquarters.

NORTHCOM is responsible for homeland defense, sustaining continuous situational awareness and readiness to protect the homeland against a range of symmetric and asymmetric threats in all domains.

Its area of responsibility includes the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, French territory off the Canadian coast and three British Overseas Territories.

“We are focused on deterring, preventing and defeating attacks against the United States,” Renuart said. “We also stand ready to support primary agencies … in responding quickly to natural or manmade disasters.”

NORTHCOM’s missions are intertwined with National Guard missions. Indeed, the command is extremely joint with personnel from every branch of the armed forces and many civilian agencies assigned to Colorado Springs.

The command has the largest concentration of Title 10 National Guard officers in a joint organization outside the National Guard Bureau, and the most recent deputy commander has been Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, who was the chief of the National Guard Bureau until late 2008.

“Our ongoing partnerships with the National Guard have increased our ability to coordinate and integrate joint and interagency operations,” Renuart said. “I am pleased to report our collaboration … has never been better, and the experience gained by Guardmembers serving throughout [NORTHCOM] ensures we have a strong foundation for enhancing this relationship.”

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., (2/1/10) – A National Guard that has been vital to national defense for the past eight years will remain an operational force, according to the Department of Defense’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review released today.

“Preventing and deterring conflict will likely necessitate the continued use of some elements of the Reserve Component … in an operational capacity well into the future,” the QDR states.

The QDR is a legislatively mandated review of DoD strategy and priorities that occurs every four years.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivered the 2010 QDR report to Congress today. It is the fourth QDR since the 1997 act that made it mandatory and the second conducted in wartime.

“Over the past eight years, the National Guard and Reserves have consistently demonstrated their readiness and ability to make sustained contributions to ongoing operations,” the QDR states.

“We don’t want to put our National Guard back on the shelf like we’ve done after every major war our nation’s been in,” said Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau. “We’re going to have a demand on our National Guard for the foreseeable future.”

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, which established the QDR, also required that it be conducted in consultation with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“We could not have accomplished what we have these past eight years were it not for our Reserve and National Guard forces,” Navy Adm. Michael Mullen wrote in his formal assessment of the QDR.

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, said Jan. 22, 2010, at the national States and Territories Hurricane Response Workshop in Tampa, Fla., that more agencies are communicating and collaborating better to prepare for domestic hurricane response. Also pictured are Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Jr., commander, Northern Command; Juliette Kayyem, assistant secretary, the Department of Homeland Security, and Rear Adm. Mary Landry, commander, 8th Coast Guard District. The National Guard Bureau and Northern Command co-sponsored the weeklong workshop hosted by the Florida National Guard. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt.Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

TAMPA, Fla. (1-22-10) – More agencies are communicating and collaborating better as a team preparing for the next hurricane response, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here today.

Flanked by the commander of Northern Command and senior Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard and other leaders, Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley said hurricane preparation is steadily improving.

“The more players we get at this table, the better we all are going to be,” McKinley said.

McKinley and Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander, Northern Command are scheduled to brief President Obama on the workshop, and the week’s work here is expected to be reflected in hurricane plans.

An entry identification team consisting of U.S. Army Soldiers from the National Guard man a post on Johnson Mountain in New Mexico June 17, 2006. The team gathers intelligence about illegal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico and relays it to Border Patrol agents. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

COLUMBUS, N.M., June 29, 2006 – Ninety years ago, this New Mexico border town was the flashpoint for the last significant raid on the continental United States before the terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Now it is hosting some of the first National Guard members who are helping to make the border between the United States and Mexico more secure.

After 500 guerillas led by Gen. Francisco “Pancho” Villa killed 10 Columbus residents and 14 Soldiers on March 9, 1916, thousands of U.S. Army troops descended on the dusty settlement three miles north of Mexico.

Led by Gen. John Pershing, they hunted Villa. The U.S. Cavalry first used motorized vehicles and airplanes in combat during what proved to be its last campaign.

Now, New Mexico Guard Soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment are using trucks and helicopters while conducting a peaceful mission: Helping Border Patrol agents tighten the country’s southern border against illegal immigrants as part of Operation Jump Start.