Posted on 01/20/25
| News Source: CNN
President Donald Trump ordered the secretary of defense or military service secretaries to “order as many units or members of the Armed Forces, including the Ready Reserve and the National Guard, as the secretary of defense determines to be appropriate” to support the Department of Homeland Security at the border.
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border on Monday, authorizing additional use of Defense Department resources at the border.
The executive order also directs the secretaries of defense and homeland security to work with the Attorney General on revising policies where applicable to ensure “use of force policies prioritize the safety” of DOD and DHS personnel at the border.
“America’s sovereignty is under attack … This assault on the American people and the integrity of America’s sovereign borders represents a grave threat to our nation,” Trump said Monday. “Because of the gravity and emergency of this present danger and imminent threat, it is necessary for the Armed Forces to take all appropriate action to assist the Department of Homeland Security in obtaining full operational control of the southern border.”
An additional executive order on Monday directed the secretary of defense to deliver a planning requirements and assessments relating to NORTHCOM’s mission to “seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States.”
A defense official said Monday that the Pentagon is “fully committed to carrying out the orders from our Commander-In-Chief, and is doing so immediately under his leadership.”
There are currently roughly 2,200 active-duty forces at the border as part of Joint Task Force-North, a task force operating under US Northern Command. Those troops are authorized to do things like data entry, vehicle maintenance, transportation, training, and detection and monitoring, a Joint Task Force-North spokesperson told CNN on Monday.
It’s unclear what a troop surge at the border would look like; more specific details are typically provided in a request to the departments of defense and homeland security.