The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, believes Operation Jump Start is a “magnificent mission” that is “making a very, very big, positive difference.” On a week-long visit to see some of the 6,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen who are augmenting the US Border Patrol in all ways except actual law enforcement, Blum noted that morale among the Guardsmen is “extra high.” He added, “I haven’t met a soldier or airman here yet who doesn’t think they’re doing something that’s making a positive difference.”
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.