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Number of American Troops, Marching Orders Still in Flux for US Border

by Jeff Seldin

   PENTAGON --

   The Trump administration is promising to send as many National Guard
   troops to the U.S. border with Mexico as needed to stop what it is
   describing as a surge in the number of attempted, illegal border
   crossings.

   "It's as many as we need, as many as it takes," White House Deputy
   Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters traveling with the
   president Thursday to West Virginia for a roundtable discussion on tax
   reform.

   "The number one function of the federal government is to protect the
   American people," Gidley added.

   Both the White House and the Pentagon say discussions on specifics for
   the enhanced U.S. military presence along the country's southwestern
   border are ongoing, and that much will depend on the needs of the
   individual U.S. states along the border.

   Support cell formed

   To facilitate the process, the Defense Department Thursday announced
   the formation of a new border security support cell, based out of the
   Pentagon, to serve as a single point of contact between the Pentagon
   and the Department of Homeland Security, which has the lead on
   President Donald Trump's border security initiative.

   But even basic questions, such as the approximate number of troops,
   their responsibilities, and whether the National Guard forces will be
   paid by the Pentagon or by the states, have not yet been answered.

   "We literally have just stood this up," Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana
   White told reporters during a briefing Thursday. "This is a priority
   and the secretary [Jim Mattis] considers it a priority."

   Lawmakers concerned with cost

   Some lawmakers have raised concerns that in order to pay for the
   additional troops, the Pentagon will have to pull money from other,
   critical programs, including those for maintenance and safety upgrades.

   White said, no matter where the money comes from, that should not be a
   concern.

   "I can assure you that our resources will still be dedicated to making
   sure our warfighters get what they need when they need it," she said.

   Defense officials say once they hear from Homeland Security and the
   border states they will be able to move ahead and quickly position
   troops and resources where they are most needed.

   For now, the plan is to use the National Guard troops to support
   Customs and Border Patrol agents who are working in a law enforcement
   capacity.

   Will troops be armed?

   Whether any of the military troops will be armed, however, is still
   under consideration.

   "Those are exactly the questions we're answering now," Lt. Gen. Kenneth
   McKenzie told reporters.

   "It will dependent on the situation," he added. "Our bias is always
   that soldiers are able to defend themselves. However, we're going to be
   guided by the dialogue going on right now between DHS and the
   governors."

   Jeff works out of VOA's Washington headquarters and is national
   security correspondent. You can follow Jeff on Twitter at [1]@jseldin
   or on [2]Google Plus.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/jseldin
   2. https://plus.google.com/112142189315478513438