Latest news with #Strykers
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Is Turning The Border Into A Military Base. Here's What I Learned From A U.S. Army Tour.
EL PASO, Texas — The armored military vehicles President Donald Trump has sent to the U.S.-Mexico border weigh 50,000 pounds apiece and have thermal and infrared cameras said to be able to spot 'a little mouse up to a mile out.' That feature might appeal to Trump, who has referred to people who cross the border without authorization as 'rats' who 'infest' the nation. Last week, when a soldier emerged from one of the hulking eight-wheelers, armed with a pair of binoculars and a grimace, he briefly turned his attention away from the U.S.-Mexico border. He turned over his left shoulder, looking inward at the United States — and at me. He was one of the approximately 10,000 members of the U.S. military who are now stationed at the border, many of whom now patrol areas where, according to the president, they have the authority to detain civilians. Over the last few weeks, Trump has directed the military to take control of thousands of acres of land along the border in Texasand New Mexico, treating nearly 250 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border as de facto military installations known as 'National Defense Areas.' As a result, people who cross the border in these areas are now not only susceptible to charges of illegal entry but also of trespassing on a military installation. This escalation also purportedly gives soldiers the legal authority to detain civilians for trespassing. In short: Trump has issued a hugely significant order for troops to detain people for civilian criminal violations on American soil. At the U.S.-Mexico border last week, I saw what a national military police force might look like. On top of increased air surveillance and logistical support, there are now at least three massive, armored Stryker vehicles each in Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The Strykers themselves aren't armed, but the soldiers within them carry rifles, as do others along the border. (About 50 such vehicles arrived at the border in April; it's unclear how many are in use.) Four other journalists and I participated in a U.S. Army tour last week, being shepherded around the borderlands in a sprinter van. Beginning at Fort Bliss, we first drove through downtown El Paso, Texas, to the bollard fence that marks many urban borders with Mexico. We passed through the gate, going south, and our van lurched between sandy potholes until we stopped underneath the Bridge of the Americas. For the first time in American history, soldiers have purportedly been given the authority to detain people in the New Mexico and west Texas borderlands on the grounds that they are trespassing on a military base. Though the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement, a loophole known as the military purpose doctrine allows exceptions where soldiers are working to further a primarily military function, like guarding a military base. Trump's recent orders take advantage of this loophole. You might be able to spot the circular logic. The hundreds of miles of new 'military installations' along the border have provided the grounds for hundreds of trespassing charges, and potentially thousands more in the future. The purpose of those charges is to protect the military bases. Those bases, according to the military, are part of an overall effort to 'seal the southern border and repel illegal activity,' as well as 'denying illegal activity along the southern border.' But the trespassing charges now central to that effort would not be legal if the bases didn't exist. According to the military, these new National Defense Areas range from 60 feet to over 3 miles deep, though the Army has not released maps to make their exact dimensions clear. Analyzing land transfer data earlier this month, a spokesperson for Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) told SourceNM the border militarization scheme has serious implications for anyone driving along New Mexico State Road 9 'who might pull over to stretch their legs and unwittingly trespass on a military base.' Dozens of migrants have already pleaded guilty to the new trespassing charges. But many others have seen their charges dismissed, with a federal judge saying earlier this month there was no reason to believe they even knew they were stepping onto a military mission. At least so far, the arrests have been carried out by Border Patrol agents, not soldiers. But that could change, especially if the number of unauthorized border crossings ticks up as temperatures cool in the fall. Also, so far, it appears no U.S. citizens have been charged with trespassing on the border installations — but there's nothing in the legal authorities cited by the Trump administration that would preclude that. These developments are just the latest in decades of border militarization. The United States, under presidents of both parties, has built hundreds of miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent decades. The Border Patrol recently celebrated its 100th birthday, and especially since Sept. 11, 2001, border enforcement has grown more and more aggressive, featuring high-tech surveillance equipment and thousands of armed agents, the presence of whom — especially as recent presidents have attacked asylum rights along the border — tends to push people into isolated, barren parts of the desert. In recentyears, members of the military have served in a support capacity along the border, helping with logistical tasks and surveillance. Still, Trump has accelerated this trend in his second term. Now, there are 10,000 soldiers along the border as part of the federal mission, up from 2,500 in January. And the threat of trespassing charges is palpable. Veteran border journalist Todd Miller wrote this month that on a recent trip to attempt to take photos of the new Defense Department signage, he noticed a camera system on an unmarked truck that appeared to be tracking his movements. 'What if I had missed the No Trespassing sign?' Miller wrote. 'Things began to feel creepy.' Someone exited the truck. Miller turned around. Last Thursday, I felt a similar chill when the soldier trained his binoculars on me. Was he just hamming it up for a scheduled media tour? Maybe so. But what about the thousands of Americans who live walking distance to a border National Defense Area? And what if Trump, as is expected, keeps expanding these National Defense Areas across the entire southern border? What if he starts declaring them throughout the country? Concertina wire glistened near my fingertips. The mid-May temperature crept toward 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Sweat soaked through my clothes. Pointing to the Rio Grande, I tried a joke on an Army public affairs officer, referring to the soldier with the binoculars. 'You should tell him the border is that way.' The officer didn't respond. The soldier with the binoculars dipped back inside his air-conditioned vehicle. We left, driving back under the Bridge of the Americas, waiting as a public affairs officer punched in a code that engaged a motor and opened the gates into the United States, then taking the highway to New Mexico. At the start of our four-hour tour, the three Army spokespeople tasked with escorting our group to various points along the border quickly tempered expectations. As a condition for the trip, they were not to be named or quoted, they said. The answers to some questions were self-evident. Earlier this month, for example, a federal magistrate judge dismissed trespassing charges against nearly 100 defendants who allegedly crossed the border into a National Defense Area, ruling 'the United States provides no facts from which one could reasonably conclude that the Defendant knew he was entering the [New Mexico National Defense Area].' From what I saw, that was a fair ruling. The signs warning border-crossers in English and Spanish that they were standing on military property appeared at 100-meter increments, on signposts driven into the desert sand. They're just over a foot wide and use a half-inch font, and were often positioned 30 feet or more inland from the portions of the border wall I saw. It's easy to imagine migrants standing on Mexican soil not even noticing the signs, let alone being able to make out what they say. Many questions remain unanswered. Here are a few I sent in an email this week to the U.S. Army, which has not responded: What are the rules of engagement for soldiers? When can they use lethal force? Are soldiers allowed to carry pepper spray, tear gas, 'less-than-lethal' ammunition, and/or similar arms? Do soldiers working in the National Defense Areas receive any border-specific training? Any training in crowd control or arrests? Have they trained with Border Patrol at all? Is the military authorized to do vehicle chases if someone crosses into an NDA and then flees? What about soldiers operating out of Customs and Border Protection vehicles? Can the military detain people overnight? Has that happened? Have any U.S. citizens been detained for trespassing on an NDA? 'As with any military installation, this land is under Department of Defense administrative jurisdiction,' Geoffrey A. Carmichael, a public affairs major with the U.S. Army, told HuffPost in an earlier statement, before I sent the above questions. 'This includes the authority to prevent unauthorized access and to detect and deter potential security threats to maintain security, order, and discipline, which may include apprehending those who enter without authorization. Any person apprehended for trespassing (or committing other criminal offenses) on a military installation, regardless of citizenship, will be transferred over to appropriate non-DoD law enforcement officials as promptly as practical.' Border Patrol operates in 'close proximity to our patrols,' he added, so 'law enforcement execution can be carried out rather quickly.' 'But I want to make it very clear,' Carmichael said. 'Law enforcement is not a DoD responsibility. Law enforcement and adjudication, in addition to what you've seen in reporting recently is the responsibility of CBP and the Department of Justice.' Also among the unanswered questions: Are the soldiers really helping to 'secure' the border? The administration seems to think so. 'If you see guys in camouflage now with binoculars, or in Stryker vehicles with rifles, they have the authority to detain illegals temporarily and assist Border Patrol and hand them over, and now, to be charged by the Department of Justice up to 10 years,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video update two weeks ago. The numbers of charges, troops, barbed wire, and National Defense Areas would all continue to 'climb,' he said, because, 'we're going to get 100% operational control of the border.' Similar boasts about the military's ability to one-up Border Patrol officers are common in Operation Lone Star, the governor of Texas' parallel (but unrelated) mission to militarize that state's border using Texas National Guard soldiers, state troopers and state trespassing charges. That mission has also been marred by alleged human rights abuses and gratuitous political theater. Still, even before the declaration of National Defense Areas, crossings were already at historic lows, as they began dropping during the Biden administration due to much larger forces. Mexico, under pressure from the U.S., has for years moved aggressively to use its military and law enforcement to keep migrants away from the U.S. border. And both Trump and former President Joe Biden dramatically cracked down on asylum rights on the border, in Biden's case with a numerical cap, and in Trump's by simply declaring border crossings to be an emergency, and eliminating asylum rights almost altogether. As of last Thursday, the Army claimed it had made 190 'detections' since the New Mexico National Defense Area was first established in April — a minuscule number compared with Border Patrol's day-to-day work. Seeing the beefed-up military presence at the border made clear this is about more than 'operational control.' It's also about optics. Dispatching the military looks tough, and Trump loves to look tough. After our sprinter van left El Paso, we made our way west, into New Mexico, passing Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station and continuing until there was nothing around us but endless desert scrub. A surveillance blimp hovered nearby. We turned toward a black line on the horizon, which grew bolder until it became a 20-foot bollard wall. We disembarked onto soft sand a few steps from the wall. The sun glared overhead, and within minutes my phone shut down, overheating and displaying an error screen. Dust clung to my eyes and my boots seemed to sink into the shifting ground. We were only a couple of miles from a port of entry, but I couldn't tell. Later, I would find that the group No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization, had mapped a cluster of recorded human remains in recent years around where we stood. A few feet from an armored Stryker vehicle, a deserted, weathered backpack sat on the ground, contents spilled onto the earth — a toothbrush, ointment, deodorant, a baseball cap. The Stryker vehicle stood motionless atop a sandy hill, seeming to glare at me. This time, no one emerged from the vehicle. Since the Obama administration, many migrants have voluntarily surrendered to border agents after making the grueling trip north, opting to pursue their right to an asylum case in the United States. One major benefit of that route is the opportunity to avoid more trekking through the deadly desert. Now, given the new trespassing charges and the United States' animosity toward the asylum process itself, more people could try to avoid detection altogether. Squinting against the glaring sun and hot sand, I was overwhelmed at the thought. For dozens of migrants arrested out here under the new trespassing charges, the next stop has been local jail. For others, it might be immigration detention. For those trying to escape detection, the journey might continue through the desert, for however long they can survive. Because I happen to have been born in Maryland, the U.S. Army drove me to a gas station, then to a Fort Bliss parking lot. My trip to the border was over. Trump Is Quietly Using The U.S. Military In A Whole New Way Historians Are 'Shocked' By What They've Seen Trump Do In Just 100 Days Trump's Bid To Deport Columbia Activist Mahmoud Khalil Is Likely Unconstitutional, Judge Says Maryland Congressman Denied Access To See Man Wrongly Deported To El Salvador Trump Administration 'Unquestionably' Violated Deportation Order, Judge Says
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army on the hook if tanks damage DC roads in massive June 14 military parade
The Army will be on the hook for damages incurred by massive tanks rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C., during the big 250th Army birthday on June 14, scheduled for the same day as President Donald Trump's birthday. The parade will see dozens of huge military vehicles roll through the streets of the nation's capital – 28 tanks, and 28 Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, two types of armored ground combat vehicles, according to the latest numbers that officials shared with reporters at a May 21 briefing. The Army is "not expecting damage" to the roads of the nation's capital, said Col. Jess Curry, executive officer to the Army Corps of Engineers. But if damage is incurred, the Army will be responsible, Col. Chris Vitale, the officer in charge of the week's celebrations, said. The Army plans to lay down huge metal plates at least an inch thick over spots in the parade route where the tanks will turn. Straight segments of the route – which runs down Constitution Avenue past the Washington Monument – won't get any protection, according to Curry. More: Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade Asked about the parade last month, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said it "would not be good" to roll military tanks down the city's streets, and that the military should pick up the tab for any damage incurred. "Military tanks on our streets would not be good," she said at an April 7 news conference. "If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied by many millions of dollars to repair the roads." Trump's role in the parade and its planning has sparked debate in Washington, with Democratic senators and Trump critics calling it an inappropriate politicization of the military. The White House has said the parade is a celebration of the Army's anniversary, and characterized Trump's birthday falling on the same day as a coincidence. In his first term, Trump repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, pushed the Pentagon to put together a military parade. The June parade will be everything he pushed for back then – around 6,700 soldiers will participate, and the initial estimates peg the crowd size at 200,000, the Army officials said on May 21. The parade will also include a flyover of historic warplanes and at least 50 helicopters, as previously reported by USA TODAY. The Golden Knights, the Army's parachute team, will soar down from the sky, and one will present Trump with a folded American flag. From his presidential booth, Trump will preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of 250 soldiers. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Army will pay if tanks damage roads in June 14 parade, officials say
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How the US Army plans to keep its massive 70-ton Abrams tanks from tearing up DC roads
Nearly 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Ave. in DC for the Army's 250th birthday. The service is finalizing plans to prevent the heavy 70-ton tanks from damaging the road. Engineers will use steel plates and track pads to protect roads during the parade. The powerful M1A1 Abrams tank, with its heavy armor and 120mm cannon, is a massive hulk of steel, and dozens are set to hit the streets in the nation's capital next month. Nearly 30 of the tanks are expected to rumble down Constitution Avenue as part of the US Army's 250th anniversary celebration on June 14, set to coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday. The street, which runs parallel to the National Mall and serves as a major route for city traffic, isn't built to easily accommodate each tank's nearly 70-ton frame. Most cars weigh only about two tons. So how is the Army going to keep its tanks from chewing up Constitution Avenue? The service's engineers are putting the finishing touches on plans to protect the busy street's pavement from biting tracks. Officials aren't too concerned with the straight path down Constitution, which will likely see a single file of tanks. It's turning points that will be the most vulnerable to tears from the heavy tracked vehicles. "We are targeting those areas that we have concerns," said Army Col. Jesse Curry, Executive Officer for the Army's Chief of Engineers, during a media roundtable with reporters on Wednesday. "Particularly the areas where the surface of the pavement would typically, you know, receive an exaggerated level of stress." To prevent such stress, military engineers are figuring out which turn points will be layered with steel plates at least one inch thick. Such large plates are commonly seen on city streets where heavy equipment is used, Curry said, adding that equipment staging areas and the parade route were specially chosen to minimize weight-related damage. Heavy tracked vehicles like the M1A1 often make turns by using differential steering — one side will roll forward while the other reverses, or the tracks will operate at a different speed. That can cause tracks to "pinch," a problem for asphalt. Inbound parade tanks will also don new "track pads," rubber components that create some separation between the metal tracks and the pavement, Curry told reporters. Additional measures to prevent damage are still being examined, with help from DC's Department of Transportation, the National Park Service (which oversees maintenance of the National Mall), and the Federal Highway Administration. The tanks and other vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, will arrive in the DC area via rail and will then depart to parade staging areas via heavy-duty trailers, similar to those used to move houses down highways. Troops will not be conducting any full-scale rehearsals for the parade, a notable deviation from typical military planning. Normally, complete rehearsals are an important part of any military mission, including small unit ceremonies. Officials said Wednesday that while the Army has been planning a major 250th birthday event for two years, the idea to include heavy vehicles like tanks and other armored vehicles in a parade only arrived this year. The officials did not specify how the idea originated. Even moving at a slow parade pace, any military activity using heavy equipment and vehicles is fraught with concerns that require meticulous planning for safety precautions, especially when it comes to the equipment offloads required to stage for such a parade. Large vehicles must rely on ground guides to ensure no one is inadvertently run over. Officials said Wednesday that Hercules wreckers will be available to recover any tanks that break down. How roads might handle the behemoth 70-ton M88 Hercules recovery vehicle with a downed tank on its trailer bed is unclear. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
How the US Army plans to keep its massive 70-ton Abrams tanks from tearing up DC roads
Nearly 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Ave. in DC for the Army's 250th birthday. The service is finalizing plans to prevent the heavy 70-ton tanks from damaging the road. Engineers will use steel plates and track pads to protect roads during the parade. The powerful M1A1 Abrams tank, with its heavy armor and 120mm cannon, is a massive hulk of steel, and dozens are set to hit the streets in the nation's capital next month. Nearly 30 of the tanks are expected to rumble down Constitution Avenue as part of the US Army's 250th anniversary celebration on June 14, set to coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday. The street, which runs parallel to the National Mall and serves as a major route for city traffic, isn't built to easily accommodate each tank's nearly 70-ton frame. Most cars weigh only about two tons. So how is the Army going to keep its tanks from chewing up Constitution Avenue? The service's engineers are putting the finishing touches on plans to protect the busy street's pavement from biting tracks. Officials aren't too concerned with the straight path down Constitution, which will likely see a single file of tanks. It's turning points that will be the most vulnerable to tears from the heavy tracked vehicles. "We are targeting those areas that we have concerns," said Army Col. Jesse Curry, Executive Officer for the Army's Chief of Engineers, during a media roundtable with reporters on Wednesday. "Particularly the areas where the surface of the pavement would typically, you know, receive an exaggerated level of stress." To prevent such stress, military engineers are figuring out which turn points will be layered with steel plates at least one inch thick. Such large plates are commonly seen on city streets where heavy equipment is used, Curry said, adding that equipment staging areas and the parade route were specially chosen to minimize weight-related damage. Heavy tracked vehicles like the M1A1 often make turns by using differential steering — one side will roll forward while the other reverses, or the tracks will operate at a different speed. That can cause tracks to "pinch," a problem for asphalt. Inbound parade tanks will also don new "track pads," rubber components that create some separation between the metal tracks and the pavement, Curry told reporters. Additional measures to prevent damage are still being examined, with help from DC's Department of Transportation, the National Park Service (which oversees maintenance of the National Mall), and the Federal Highway Administration. The tanks and other vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, will arrive in the DC area via rail and will then depart to parade staging areas via heavy-duty trailers, similar to those used to move houses down highways. Troops will not be conducting any full-scale rehearsals for the parade, a notable deviation from typical military planning. Normally, complete rehearsals are an important part of any military mission, including small unit ceremonies. Officials said Wednesday that while the Army has been planning a major 250th birthday event for two years, the idea to include heavy vehicles like tanks and other armored vehicles in a parade only arrived this year. The officials did not specify how the idea originated. Even moving at a slow parade pace, any military activity using heavy equipment and vehicles is fraught with concerns that require meticulous planning for safety precautions, especially when it comes to the equipment offloads required to stage for such a parade. Large vehicles must rely on ground guides to ensure no one is inadvertently run over. Officials said Wednesday that Hercules wreckers will be available to recover any tanks that break down. How roads might handle the behemoth 70-ton M88 Hercules recovery vehicle with a downed tank on its trailer bed is unclear.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here's how many tanks, aircraft, and soldiers are joining the huge Army anniversary parade on Trump's birthday
The Army is preparing for a massive 250th birthday parade in Washington, DC, on June 14. The event, designated a national security special event, coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday. The parade will feature tanks, aircraft, and 6,700 soldiers from all Army units. The US Army has shared new details for its massive 250th birthday celebration, which is set to be a mind-boggling logistical feat, with Abrams tanks, artillery, Strykers, horses, and a lot more descending on the nation's capital. The week-long celebratory event is officially designated as a "national security special event," a term used for major events like the Super Bowl or presidential inaugurations. These require extensive inter-agency coordination. This event has been in the works for two years, but was only recently updated to include a parade on June 14 that will coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday. Army officials on Wednesday did not specify to reporters whose idea it was to insert the military parade into the already-planned events. Trump made it known during his first term that he wanted a major military parade. That event never came to fruition. At least 200,000 people are expected to attend the upcoming event, officials said. The parade will start in the early evening and will proceed along Constitution Avenue and continue near the National Mall, a shorter route than previously expected. Here's what's coming to DC for the parade: There will be 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, each roughly 70-ton tracked vehicle equipped with a 120mm cannon, among other armaments, as well as 28 Bradley Fighting vehicles, lighter tracked armor with 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain guns. Additionally, 28 Strykers will also be included, flexible 20-ton eight-wheeled vehicles with mixed armaments used for a range of missions. Abrams tanks, Strykers, and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles form the backbone of two of the three types of Army "brigade combat teams," self-sufficient units that can fight and maneuver on the battlefield. Some are centered on infantry, others on "armor" like the Abrams and Bradley, and others on the versatile Strykers. The parade will also feature 4 Paladins, tracked self-propelled 155mm howitzers each weighing over 27 tons. There will also be "several" pieces of towed artillery including M777s and M119s. Fifty aircraft are expected to participate, including helicopters like the multi-mission Black Hawks, heavy-lift Chinooks, and attack Apaches. Army officials told reporters they are working closely with the FAA and DC's Reagan National Airport for parade flyover deconfliction, though final details regarding impact to local airports are still being hashed out. All weapons systems will be disabled and inspected by the Secret Service prior to the event, officials told reporters. No ammunition, be it blank or live rounds, will be distributed to soldiers. Roughly 6,700 soldiers — including active duty, reserve, National Guard, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and special operations forces — are expected to participate. Some soldiers will wear historical uniforms specially made for this event, officials shared Wednesday, to reflect US Army traditions from the Revolutionary War through the Global War on Terror. World War II-era equipment including M4 Sherman tanks, B25 bombers, P51 Mustang fighter planes, and C47 Skytrains, will also be featured. Army equine units from across the country are also expected, including Arlington National Cemetery's Caisson Platoon. The Army's prestigious Golden Knights parachute team will end the celebration with a jump and will present a folded flag to the president. Folded flags are usually presented to grieving military families during funerals, but they are also sometimes presented at military retirement ceremonies or other milestone events as a gesture of respect. Read the original article on Business Insider
