Troops in Stryker armored vehicles to patrol southern border
U.S. troops deployed to the southern border can now conduct patrols in Stryker armored vehicles, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM.
The move comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered on March 1 that about 2,400 soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Then, on March 20, Hegseth authorized U.S. service members assigned to the border region to conduct 'enhanced detection and monitoring' to support agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, a recent NORTHCOM news release says. This will allow troops to go from manning stationary positions on the border to using Strykers and other tactical military vehicles for patrols within designated patrol zones and to transport Customs and Border agents on patrol routes.
Strykers are eight-wheeled vehicles that can carry up to 11 people and reach a top speed of 60 miles per hour, according to the Army. Some variants include a remote weapons station for a .50 caliber machine gun or MK19 grenade launcher.
'The unique military capabilities and equipment such as 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's Stryker armored vehicles can be more effectively utilized by Joint Task Force – Southern Border (JTF-SB) while working with CBP to achieve operational control of the border,' the news release says.
More than 10,000 service members have either deployed or been approved to deploy to the southern border region. Because the troops are on federal orders under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, they are not allowed to carry out law enforcement activities, including seizing and arresting individuals, according to NORTHCOM.
'Any law enforcement actions to apprehend individuals suspected of illegal entry must be conducted only by non-DoD law enforcement personnel and National Guard personnel in a non-federalized status accompanying these patrols,' the NORTHCOM news release says.
Service members assigned to Joint Task Force – Southern Border have already conducted training on how to abide by the law when detecting, tracking, and monitoring suspected illegal activity along the border, the news release says.
CBP agents will be 'on-hand or nearby' during patrols to perform any required law enforcement activity, Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, said in the news release.
U.S. troops supporting security efforts on the southern border will be armed with their assigned weapons, per established policies and procedures, NORTHCOM spokesperson Marine Col. Kelly Frushour told Task & Purpose.
'If the tactical task prohibits carrying of a weapon, an armed overwatch position will provide protection,' Frushour said in a statement. 'As always, U.S. forces retain the right to self-defense.'
The Army's Master Combat Badges will be coming to soldiers this month
Air Force shoots down Houthi drones launched at Navy carrier strike group
Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie 'Glory' erased from Pentagon website
'Saving Private Ryan' didn't make the Army's list of most accurate movie portrayals
Army reveals designs for Mountaineering and Mariner Badges
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Navy ordered to rename USNS Harvey Milk in deliberate Pride Month move
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to rename a ship honoring late LGBTQ rights hero Harvey Milk — in a move intentionally set to coincide with Pride Month. According to a memo from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy reviewed by officials have already drawn up a plan for the USNS Harvey Milk to be renamed. The ship is a John Lewis-class oiler, part of a series of vessels named after civil rights leaders and activists. While its new name has yet to be announced, Navy Secretary John Phelan and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth are expected to unveil the change on June 13, according to the memo. An unnamed defense official confirmed to the decision to make the announcement in June was deliberate. The move was slammed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a 'shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.' Milk, who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, made history as California's first openly gay elected official. He was assassinated inside San Francisco City Hall on Nov. 27, 1978 — just months after helping pass a landmark city ordinance banning discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation. Before his short-lived career in public office, the trailblazing LGBTQ+ rights leader also served as a diving officer in the Navy, but resigned with the rank of lieutenant junior grade in 1955 after being questioned about his sexual orientation. In late 2016, the Navy announced it would name a ship after the slain LGBTQ icon. Construction began in late 2019 and, two years later, Navy Veteran Paula Neira christened the Navy's USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) in a ceremony in San Diego Bay attended by state and local leaders. 'Harvey fought for the dignity and worth of every person,' Pelosi, who represents California's 11th congressional district, which includes most of San Francisco, said in a statement Tuesday. 'In San Francisco, we take great pride that our Harvey's name adorns a mighty ship among a new class of Navy vessels — named for the conscience of the Congress, John Lewis — which honors titans in the fight for freedom,' Pelosi said. 'As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision and continue to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Harvey Milk, a veteran himself, and all Americans who forged historic progress for our nation,' she concluded. _____
Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Hegseth will skip a meeting on organizing military aid to Ukraine in a first for the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time since the U.S. created an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine three years ago, America's Pentagon chief will not be in attendance when more than 50 other defense leaders meet Wednesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who returned from a national security conference in Singapore on Sunday, will not arrive in Brussels until Wednesday evening, after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting is over. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling details, confirmed that Hegseth also will not participate by video conference. It is the latest in a series of steps that the U.S. has taken to distance itself from the Ukraine war effort. And it comes on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron's warning at the security conference last weekend that the U.S. and others risk a dangerous double standard if their concentration on a potential conflict with China is done at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. France and other NATO nations are concerned that the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. Macron said abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since then, more than 50 member nations have collectively provided Ukraine with some $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including over $66.5 billion from the U.S. Under Austin's leadership, the U.S. served as chair of the group, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attended monthly meetings, which were both in person and by video. Hegseth has upended that position by stepping away from a leadership role, providing no new military aid and now abandoning the gathering altogether. During his first meeting with the group and a subsequent NATO defense ministers gathering in Brussels in February, Hegseth warned that Ukraine should abandon its NATO bid and its push to reclaim all Russian-occupied territory. And he signaled that President Donald Trump is determined to get Europe to assume most of the financial and military responsibilities for Ukraine's defense. Since Trump took office, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Hegseth also turned leadership of the group over to Germany and the United Kingdom. While he will not attend Wednesday's session, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander, will be there. In Washington, meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is in town for talks about defense, sanctions and postwar recovery, said Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office. The Ukrainians met with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, discussing recent talks with the Russians and conditions on the battlefield, Yermak posted on social media. Svyrydenko and Yermak also are expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials Wednesday. ___ Associated Press writer Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Authorities are searching for a Washington state father of 3 dead girls
A man in central Washington state is wanted for murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead. Authorities asked the public Tuesday for help finding Travis Decker, 32, who is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle. Police said it was unknown whether Decker, a former Army soldier with 'extensive training,' was armed. On Friday the mother of the girls, ages 9, 8 and 5, reported that their father did not return them after a planned visit, police said. Over the weekend authorities looked for the children and for Decker, who was believed to be living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup with Washington plates. Decker's unoccupied truck was found Monday near a campground, police said, and officers found the girls' bodies during a search. Anyone who may have seen Decker since Friday or knows his current location was asked to call 911. 'Due to safety concerns do not attempt to contact or approach Decker,' police said. The Wenatchee School District said the girls were students of Lincoln Elementary. Counseling services were available, and the district asked people to respect the privacy of students, staff members and families and come to the campus only for regular school business. It was not known how long the girls were with Decker before their mother contacted police, according to Capt. Brian Chance. 'What prompted her to call us was that ... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,' Chance said. Decker and the girls' mother are divorced, Chance said. He did not have details on how the girls were killed or on Decker's employment. In addition to living out of his truck, Decker is known to occasionally stay in motels, Chance said. Chelan County Sheriff's Office, which found the truck, was leading the search in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest area while other teams followed up on 'potential credible information and tips' regarding Decker's location, the agency said in a statement.
