There’s More—Guard Deputy for NORTHCOM: 
Legislation being proposed by Sen. Christopher Bond and Sen. Patrick Leahy, co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, would not only put a four-star Guardsman on the JCS, but also it would ensure “that there is a National Guard deputy at Northern Command.” In comments made before the new Commission on the National Guard and Reserve, Leahy said: The latest caucus effort extends beyond ensuring “the Guard can continue to actively support the Army and the Air Force. It is about how we harness the National Guard’s natural ability to serve as a homeland security force.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.