Subscribe
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Guard Bureau held a teleconference with civilian and military internet bloggers on Aug. 6 to describe the Guard's Southwest border efforts underway in four states.
Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security officials announced last month that up to 1,200 Guardsmen would augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Jack Harrison, director of communications for the Guard said he wanted to discuss the sometimes inaccurate reporting about the incremental deployment of those Guard members.
Harrison told participants in the DoD Bloggers Roundtable that the Guard has a long history of supporting CBP along the Southwest border, and it looks forward to the current support mission.
Bloggers on the call were interested in the numbers of troops who will be activated in each state, their pre-deployment training, their skill sets as well as the missions that will be supported.
After cycling through the requisite training, up to 1,200 soldiers and airmen will work primarily in one of two specialties: entry identification or criminal investigative analysis, said Harrison.
Harrison reiterated that the deployment plan is "incremental" with each state providing their own soldiers and airmen. The states will also retain the command and control of the Guardsmen under the governor and adjutant general.
"During the next 60 to 90 days, we anticipate that those states will get [Guard members] on the mission, and they will be doing the support that DHS has requested of them," he said.
He added that training and vetting times are always built into the incremental deployment process.
"There are some requirements that have to be met, that are levied by CBP ... you want to make sure that you have fully trained people doing the mission that they are called in to do," he said.
Harrison said that the Guard is following that plan, as it was agreed to by DHS and DoD, and is not missing any deadlines.
"We are uniquely suited to do this mission, we are implementing the plan agreed to … and everything is moving according to that plan … allowing our soldiers and airmen to be properly trained and vetted and brought on to the mission," he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2010 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 54203 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 39 |
This work, Guard briefs bloggers on Southwest border mission, by MSgt Mike Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
