Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, U.S. Army North Commander, speaks with Joint Forces Land Component personnel and Air Force attorneys at Lackland AFB, Texas who are participating in the border support mission. DOD photo.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Monday approved an extension of the military’s US border support mission through Sept. 30, 2019, extending the deployment of military members for a mission that will now last at least 11 months.
The Department of Homeland Security on Dec. 27, 2018 requested additional support form the Pentagon, according to a DOD release.
“DOD is transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry,” the release states. “DOD will continue to provide aviation support.”
The mission, which briefly was called Operation Faithful Patriot before the name was rescinded, began in October with the deployment of more than 5,200 Active Duty troops to the border.
Currently, there are approximately 2,350 Active Duty forces at the border, according to The Associated Press.