GUARDIAN SHIELD
First wave of troops will be used in support roles
Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire of the Arizona National Guard provides a update Wednesday on Operation Guardian Shield, which involves sending troops to the border with Mexico.
An initial wave of Arizona National Guard troops, scheduled to hit the border with Mexico by Friday, won’t be armed, won’t do direct surveillance and won’t build fences.
Instead, Arizona’s top military commander said, the soldiers will play a support role to the U.S. Border Patrol, allowing more agents and other law enforcement to patrol for illegal immigrants.
“Ultimately, our objective in this mission is to surge badges to the border,” said Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the National Guard’s adjutant general, during a media briefing Wednesday.
Gov. Doug Ducey authorized a mobilization at the request of President Donald Trump, who requested up to 4,000 Guard members from four Southwest states to combat what he described as a border security “crisis.”
McGuire said an initial Arizona detail of 338 Guard members will be stationed in the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector by Saturday, with 60 arriving in the Nogales area Friday.
Mission directives do not prohibit troops from bearing arms, he added, and those sent later may be issued firearms so they can defend themselves, if necessary. But weapons were not deemed necessary for assignments so far.
“Of those initial 338, none has been assigned a mission that requires them to be armed,” McGuire said.
Unlike previous border missions, Guard personnel will not conduct direct surveillance or barrier construction. Rather, McGuire said, soldiers will monitor cameras, lasers, motion detectors and other technology to detect illegal crossers, freeing agents to patrol the border.
Other Guard personnel may work on fence repairs, but will not construct new barriers.
The Army Guard is sending engineers, transportation workers, vehicle maintenance specialists and surveillance soldiers.
The Air Guard plans to provide aviation support for surveillance, rescue work and other missions.
Most Guard members in the first wave received an initial briefing, which McGuire described as “Border Patrol 101,” basic rules on how to support agents.
Ducey first said last week he would mobilize 150 Guard members; that number grew to 338 by Tuesday, but how those troops would actually be used remained unclear amid logistical hurdles and apparent uncertainty on how the extra help would be used.
McGuire said the full expense for Arizona Guard border operatons will be borne by the federal government, with funding authorization through at least Sept. 30.
Most personnel designated for the mission are part-time military who serve one weekend each month, and who volunteered for full-time assignments.
McGuire said he does not know the mobilization cost, but it will included salaries, housing in southern Arizona motels, food and other provisions.
The deployment, dubbed Operation Guardian Shield, represents the third time National Guard units have been called upon for border security in a dozen years.
President George W. Bush sent about 30,000 troops to the border, in rotations, from 2006-08 in Operation Jump Start. President Barack Obama directed 1,200 Guard members to the Mexico line in 2010-11 for Operation Phalanx.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday that troops in Guardian Shield would be assigned to one of four areas, agreed upon by the U.S. Department of Defense and CBP:
Air support: to help patrol areas near the border with “light, medium, heavy lift helicopters” and drones.
Infrastructure support: such as road maintenance, or clearing out weeds in certain areas to help with visibility.
Operational support: including helping with fleet maintenance and repair.
Surveillance support: to help operate stationary and mobile surveillance cameras placed along the Arizona-Mexico border.
“Ultimately, our objective in this mission is to surge badges to the border . ... Of those initial 338, none has been assigned a mission that requires them to be armed.” Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire Adjutant general, Arizona National Guard