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Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What military assets has Trump deployed to the US southern border? Troops, warships, spy planes, and more.
The Trump administration is using US troops and military assets in its costly immigration crackdown. Navy warships, military aircraft, and combat vehicles have been deployed to the US-Mexico border. The Pentagon has spent $376 million on militarizing the southern US border since January 20. US Navy destroyers are cruising coastal waters, spy planes are flying overhead, and troops are out patrolling desert trails in armored fighting vehicles. America's southern border is starting to resemble a military front line as the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on illegal immigration at the divide between the US and Mexico. President Donald Trump swiftly put his mass deportation plan into motion after taking office, using US military personnel and assets to execute it by formally declaring illegal immigration a federal emergency. About 10,000 active-duty troops have been deployed to support the Pentagon's southern border operation, as have two warships, a handful of military aircraft, and over 100 combat vehicles. Costly crackdown on immigration On April 1, Defense Department officials said the militarization at the US-Mexico border had cost roughly $376 million since Trump returned to the White House on January 20, or about $5.3 million per day. After making illegal immigration a major campaign issue, with Trump criticizing Biden's border policies, the Trump White House has touted plummeting numbers of illicit border crossings. US Customs and Border Patrol reported that March saw the lowest number of attempted crossings in decades. Illegal immigration was already on the decline prior to the start of Trump's second term, but the president is taking things further. He's got numerous military assets at the border. Here's what the administration has deployed. Thousands of troops During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 1, Pentagon officials said 6,700 active-duty troops had been deployed to the US-Mexico border, in addition to about 2,500 National Guardsmen that were already stationed there. Only Border Patrol agents or civilian law enforcement can actually apprehend migrants, leaving a large majority of the troops tasked with "detection and monitoring," Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of the US Northern Command, said. Active-duty forces are limited in their actions on US soil. The general said that deployed military personnel "operating in close proximity to the border" are armed with rifles or pistols, and military officials are seeking authorization for troops to shoot down suspected cartel drones surveilling the border. USS Gravely Two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers — USS Gravely and USS Spruance — have also been deployed to help "restore territorial integrity at the US southern border," officials said in two statements in March. "Gravely's sea-going capacity improves our ability to protect the United States' territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security," Guillot said. The destroyer departed Yorktown, Virginia, in mid-March to waters off the Texas coast to support the border mission and counter maritime weapons and drug crime in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gravely played a key role in Red Sea combat prior to this deployment. In December 2023, USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles and was involved in sinking three Houthi small boats, marking the first time the US Navy killed Houthi fighters since the Red Sea conflict began. USS Spruance A second Navy destroyer, USS Spruance, which also saw combat in the Red Sea, left its homeport in San Diego last month to patrol waters off the West Coast as part of the border operation. Guillot said that the warship "brings additional capability and expands the geography of unique military capabilities working with the Department of Homeland Security." "With Spruance off the West Coast and USS Gravely in the Gulf of America, our maritime presence contributes to the all-domain, coordinated DOD response to the Presidential Executive Order and demonstrates our resolve to achieve operational control of the border," the general added. The warships have been conducting operations alongside the Coast Guard. Airlifters flying deportation flights Migrant deportations are typically carried out using civilian charter flights operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration supplemented the deportation effort by using military cargo aircraft, like the C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules, to transport migrants to Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, and even India. Military vs civilian flight costs But the military aircraft, which are designed to transport both troops and cargo, come with a steep operational price tag. It costs about $28,000 per flight for one deportation on a C-17, whereas civilian flights cost an estimated $8,500. Following backlash from Democratic lawmakers, the Trump administration halted military deportation flights in early March. Though there are no further flights scheduled, Air Force Gen. Randall Reed told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that his command is prepared to carry them out should the order be reversed. "If I get the task, I'll absolutely fly it," Reed said. Surveillance aircraft and drones The big cargo planes aren't the only military aircraft being used at the southern US border. Spy planes and drones have been conducting regular intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flights. Reconnaissance aircraft like the U-2 "Dragon Lady" and Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint have been used for ISR missions above Mexico. The Navy has also reportedly used Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft to conduct maritime patrol and surveillance along the US-Mexico border. Additionally, there have been reports of MQ-9 Reaper drones conducting flights as well. The Reaper is an uncrewed surveillance and combat asset. The Trump administration also directed Pentagon intelligence agencies to direct satellite surveillance to the southern border region, Reuters reported last month. Armored vehicles Border patrol agents typically drive SUVs, sedans, and pick-up trucks donning a green-and-white paint scheme to traverse the rugged terrain at the border. But as more active-duty troops are deployed to the region, armored tactical vehicles have become a regular sight in an apparent intimidation tactic. "This sends a clear and unequivocal message to the criminal organizations operating on either side of the border that we will not tolerate illegal incursions or illicit activities along our border," Border Patrol spokesman Claudio Herrera-Baeza said. He added that "these vehicles have incredible detection technology that the Border Patrol will incorporate into its mission of safeguarding our borders." 'More military assets' The US Army sent over 100 Stryker armored fighting vehicles, along with hundreds of soldiers, to an installation near the border between Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas. Black Hawk helicopters and Chinooks for support aviation were also deployed. Typically deployed to warzones, the 20-ton eight-wheeled Stryker combat vehicles can be armed with a machine gun or grenade launcher and carry up to 11 troops. They can also reach speeds of up to 60 mph and have a range of 300 miles. "That's really what we're doing with the Stryker out here," Lt. Col. Travis Stellfox told Scripps News. "It provides us great mobility to get soldiers where they need to be to observe on the border." There is always the possibility more military assets could be deployed. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said previously that "whatever is needed at the border will be provided." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navy destroyer helps apprehend 13 people for border security mission
The destroyer USS Spruance recently helped the Coast Guard and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, take 13 people into custody as part of the ship's mission to bolster security on the southern border, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM. The Spruance left San Diego on March 22 to assist U.S. government agencies assigned to combat transitional crime, piracy, illegal immigration, and other activities, a NORTHCOM news release says. An embedded Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment is aboard the Spruance during its border security mission. One day after getting underway, the destroyer used its radar to help the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter and a CBP interceptor boat interdict a suspect vessel, NORTHCOM wrote in a March 29 post on X. No further information was immediately available about what type of alleged illicit activity the 13 people apprehended by CBP agents are accused of doing. Since President Donald Trump issued an executing order in January directing the military to support the Department of Homeland Security on border security, more than 10,000 troops have either deployed or been approved to deploy to the region, including about 2,400 soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The Spruance, which is operating in the Pacific, is one of two Navy destroyers taking part in border security missions. The USS Gravely left its homeport of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia on March 15. The Gravely and Spruance are deployed to the waters off Mexico. According to Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, the warships' presence represents 'our resolve to achieve operational control of the border.' Prior to returning to its homeport of San Diego in December, the Spruance spent five months deployed with the strike group for the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, during which the Spruance and another destroyer, USS Stockdale, were attacked by Houthi drones and anti-ship missiles. Neither ship was damaged, and no sailors were hurt in the attack. A photo posted on the Spruance's Facebook page in January showing the ship's victory markings indicates that it had downed six missiles and seven drones during its deployment. Those 'Hegseth bodyguards' are actually there for the Air Force's 'Doomsday' plane Army wants junior officers to fix quality-of-life issues that drive soldiers out '100% OPSEC' apparently means texting military plans to a reporter Ranger School's new fitness test is tougher than ever, but nixes sit-ups This photo of Air Force special ops pool training is chaos. There's a reason for that.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Another US Navy destroyer that fought off missiles in the Red Sea has been sent to guard America's southern border
The US military is sending another warship to guard the southern border with Mexico. The destroyer USS Spruance, which fought the Houthis in the Red Sea, will operate off the West Coast. It's the latest military asset to be deployed as part of Trump's border security efforts. A second US Navy destroyer that spent months battling the Houthis in the Red Sea is being sent to the southern border to support military operations there. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance left its home port of San Diego on Saturday to support efforts to "restore territorial integrity" at the southern border, US Northern Command said in a statement. NORTHCOM said that the deployment would contribute to the Pentagon's crackdown on maritime-related criminal activity, including weapons smuggling and illegal immigration. The Trump administration has made combating these issues and drug trafficking a priority and has dispatched a range of military assets to the US-Mexico border. Last weekend, the Navy sent USS Gravely, another guided-missile destroyer, to the southern border. Air Force Lt. Gen Alexus Grynkewich, the director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters Monday that the warship will be "involved in the interdiction mission for any of the drugs and whatnot that are heading in." The Spruance, like the Gravely, will be accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, operators that specialize in military operations at sea, such as counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, anti-immigration, and combat missions. Destroyers like the Spruance bring a lot of firepower to a fight. They are equipped with 96 vertical launch system (VLS) cells carrying surface-to-air and land-attack missiles, as well as various guns, from the 5-inch deck gun to the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) to machine guns. The ships also feature electronic warfare capabilities. It's not entirely unusual for these warships to partake in drug interdiction missions, especially since maritime smuggling efforts can be rather sophisticated. Gen. Gregory Guillot, the NORTHCOM commander, said that the Spruance's deployment as part of the southern border mission "brings additional capability and expands the geography of unique military capabilities working with the Department of Homeland Security." "With Spruance off the West Coast and USS Gravely in the Gulf of America, our maritime presence contributes to the all-domain, coordinated DOD response to the Presidential Executive Order and demonstrates our resolve to achieve operational control of the border," Guillot added. The Spruance and Gravely are being deployed for a mission very different from the Red Sea conflict in which both vessels fought. On their previous deployments, the Spruance and Gravely spent months shooting down missiles and drones launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen as part of their ongoing attacks on military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Navy has rotated carrier strike groups in and out of the Red Sea repeatedly as part of its efforts to stop the Houthi attacks. Last weekend, the US began a fresh campaign against the rebels and has been hitting them with airstrikes for several days. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Why Navy destroyers are being sent to the southern border mission
The Pentagon made waves Monday when it announced the deployment of the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer Gravely to patrol near the southern border, with a second destroyer reportedly expected to join the effort. U.S. Northern Command announced that the Gravely will be sailing with a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, or LEDET, team on board, with sailors expected to work closely with LEDET personnel as a part of drug trafficking interdictions, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Joint Staff director for operations. Although it's been called unusual for Navy destroyers to deploy in this role, it is not without precedent. In 2022, the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer Momsen worked with a Coast Guard interdiction team in the Gulf of Oman to intercept $39 million in illegal drugs. The same year, the destroyer Nitze intercepted an estimated $20 million in illicit drugs at sea. And in 2024, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Leyte Gulf and a LEDET team intercepted a semi-submersible craft in the Atlantic packed with 2,370 kilos of cocaine. What is noteworthy about recent developments is not that Navy warships are being used for drug interdiction missions or to counteract transnational crime, but the speed and concentration with which they are being deployed to this area. While many Americans are well aware of drugs entering the country via overland routes across the U.S. land border with Mexico, fewer know the prevalence of maritime drug trafficking and the methods of stifling it. Criminal organizations use a wide variety of vessels and seaborne craft to get illicit drugs into the U.S. These can include fishing boats and submersibles, which are being increasingly operated remotely using new technology. Last August, the Mexican Navy detained 15 individuals after intercepting about 7,200 kilograms of illicit drugs in two high-speed at-sea chases that were captured on video. One trafficking conspiracy saw literal tons of cocaine trafficked from South America to various locations over a period of about seven years starting in 2013. Traffickers in that operation used motorboats which would then carry loads of cocaine to a fishing vessel. The Navy routinely partners with law enforcement agencies to halt traffickers and intercept illegal drug shipments. In 2019, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, working together with the Drug Enforcement Administration, played a role in preventing three Colombian nationals from smuggling an estimated $200 million in cocaine into the U.S. via a submarine. In 2021, the Navy, in collaboration with DEA, opened an interagency counternarcotics facility in Bahrain to make joint operations smoother. Coast Guard LEDET teams, meanwhile, often operate from Navy destroyers, such as the Gravely. The LEDET program, first established in 1982, focuses largely on waterborne drug interdiction. Members of LEDET teams specialize in skills related to interdicting and boarding vessels, humanitarian response and anti-piracy and counterterrorism operations. These personnel regularly deploy with both U.S. Navy and allied vessels. Just last year, the Navy and the Coast Guard — through joint patrols and partnerships with law enforcement — cooperated to stop nearly 15 tons of cocaine from entering the U.S. While the Navy's mission on the southern border is not out of step with operations over the years, the move of warships to the area is indicative of the current administration's attempt to establish a much firmer grip on approaches to the U.S. from the region. 'It's not only vital for the United States to have control of our border via land,' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a release. 'It's equally important to control our territorial waters, and this deployment directly supports U.S. Northern Command's mission to protect our sovereignty.' As overland routes into the U.S. from across the border with Mexico have become more impassable due to an increased U.S. military presence, transnational criminal organizations — which operate as businesses — will seek to find alternative routes. This month, the Coast Guard announced the interdiction of about $141 million in illicit drugs being smuggled at sea and the arrest of 17 suspected traffickers.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navy Plans to Deploy Second Destroyer to Patrol Waters Off US and Mexico This Week
The Navy plans to send a second warship to patrol the waters off the U.S. by the end of this week after a destroyer was deployed on Saturday as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and the border, a U.S. official confirmed to on Wednesday. The official, who was given anonymity to discuss military plans, told that a second destroyer will deploy from the West Coast, joining the USS Gravely, which left a naval base in Virginia over the weekend headed for the waters around the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Northern Command announced Saturday that the Gravely deployed with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment aboard, allowing the vessel to conduct missions such as ship interdictions and drug seizures. The Trump administration has already deployed thousands of troops to the southern border and designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations amid promises to curb border crossings. Read Next: Bill to Provide Full Retirement, Disability Pay to Combat-Injured Veterans Is Reintroduced by Lawmakers The Coast Guard seemed to reveal the plan to deploy a second warship on Tuesday when it released a statement that touted its success in interdicting drug shipments at sea and repeatedly mentioned it was working with more than one Navy ship. "U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) deployed two U.S. Navy warships to the southern border to support Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Coast Guard operations," the statement said. Cmdr. Liza Dougherty, a spokeswoman for Northern Command, wouldn't confirm or deny the plan for a second destroyer to join the Gravely. The Coast Guard's statement said "these U.S. Navy warships" -- plural -- "will operate in direct support of the Coast Guard and carry Coast Guard law enforcement teams." Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard's acting commandant, was also quoted in the news release as saying that "these Navy ships provide unique capability to complement U.S. Coast Guard operations to achieve 100% operational control of the border." Unlike a Coast Guard cutter, a Navy destroyer is a far more heavily armed vessel -- the Gravely alone can carry 96 missiles, including Tomahawk Land Attack cruise missiles -- and it is moving into the area after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wouldn't rule out conducting strikes into Mexico less than two months ago. However, for now, officials say that the mission of these destroyers will be assisting the Coast Guard with patrolling the border. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the operations boss for the Joint Staff, who briefed reporters Monday, said that the Gravely would "be involved in the interdiction mission for any of the drugs and whatnot that are heading in." It is not clear how long the destroyers plan to be at sea carrying out their mission -- several officials wouldn't say, citing operational security -- but Northern Command's news release on the Gravely used the phrase "scheduled deployment," which typically means a multiple-month mission. The deployment of not one but two warships to the waters off the U.S. is highly unusual. Northern Command, which has been around since 2002, is largely set up to cover defense of the homeland, and its commander oversees much of the waters off the coast of America and Mexico but not Central America or the Caribbean. The latter belong to the head of U.S. Southern Command. Officials at the Navy's History and Heritage Command told on Wednesday that Navy ships do frequently participate in short exercises, operations and patrols within Northern Command, but deployments of multiple months are very unusual outside of a disaster response. The officials said that, since the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dominican Republic, and various Haiti incidents were all within the Southern Command's area of responsibility, "it's entirely possible there hasn't been anything major since Vera Cruz in 1914." The Battle of Vera Cruz was a seven-month military conflict between the U.S. and Mexico that took place in the Mexican port city of Vera Cruz amid poor diplomatic relations between the two countries that stemmed from the ongoing Mexican Revolution. -- Patricia Kime contributed to this report. Related: Navy Destroyer Deploys Off US and Mexico as Part of Pentagon Border Focus
