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Southwest Border Mission Analysis

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Use of the UH-72A Lakota on the Southwest Border Mission As the political landscape in the United States continues to include increasing levels of immigration reform and border security rhetoric, an understanding of current capabilities and operations becomes a vital component when forming an educated opinion. Army National Guard soldiers and aircraft provide a crucial layer of border security, employing the UH-72A Lakota helicopter equipped with technology designed to assist law enforcement agencies in drug interdiction and undocumented immigrant apprehension. Shortfalls in United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) capabilities opened the door for military involvement to stem the influx of illegal immigrants, as well as slowing …show more content…

Today, the UH-72A and its crewmembers operate in conjunction with CBP in the Laredo and Rio Grande Valley sectors of Texas, as well as sections of the New Mexico, Arizona, and California borders, and continue to achieve mission success on a near-nightly basis. National Guard involvement on the Southwest border began in 2006, when President George W. Bush authorized National Guardsmen to augment the under-staffed CBP through “Operation Jump Start,” a joint collaboration between CBP, the Army and Air National Guard, and the National Guard Bureau. This effort was the first time both the Army and Air National Guard teamed up to perform an extended homeland mission. The original authorization called for the immediate deployment of 6,000 troops, with a planned reduction to 3,000 during the second year. During these two years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection would focus on hiring and training approximately 9,000 new agents, nearly doubling its footprint. The mission concept in 2006 oriented on ground operations (Church, 2009). Evolution of the Southwest border mission over the past ten years includes a marked decline in overall troop numbers and a new focus placed on aerial observation …show more content…

Customs and Border Protection does publish year-end data to highlight its achievements within the Air and Marine Operations division. The most recent statistics published encompass fiscal year 2013, and include mission contributions from Task Force Liberty operations. Air and Marine Operations executed 73,576 flight hours and 111,910 maritime hours in fiscal year 2013, producing staggering results. Mission highlights include 63,562 alien apprehensions throughout the year, averaging more than 174 apprehensions per day. Recovery of illegal drugs and narcotics prevented more than 1,015,075 pounds of marijuana, valued at over $2.6 billion, and more than 155,120 pounds of cocaine, valued at more than $11.6 billion, from entering the drug trade within the United States. Agents also seized more than $25.3 million in currency, and 2,194 weapons (U.S. Customs and Border Protection,

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