Civil engineers from the Washington Air National Guard’s 141st Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild AFB, Wash., have deployed to Arizona for two weeks to help build a military hospital along the US-Mexico border, reports the Associated Press news service. Along with the CE troops are 141st ARW medics to provide basic medical care for Guard personnel serving along the border under President Bush’s Operation Jump Start to protect the US border and stem illegal immigration. Another Washington ANG contingent, this one from the 252nd Combat Communications Group, has deployed to set up a radio communications network. As we reported earlier, the Administration’s call for 6,000 Guardsmen included Air Guard members.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
