Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan, announced plans today to increase the amount of troops assisting the CBP mission on the Southwest border.
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DOD will deploy more than 5,000 active-duty personnel to aid the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to harden the southern border.
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The mission is named Operation Faithful Patriot.
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Today, we have about 800 soldiers who are on their way to Texas — coming from Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, Kentucky.
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By the end of this week more than 5,200 soldiers will deploy to the Southwest border, joining 2,092 National Guardsmen participating in Operation Guardian Support.
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The troop deployment will be in support of law enforcement with Customs and Border Protection. CBP has requested aid in air and ground transportation, and logistics support, as well as engineering capabilities and equipment to secure legal crossings, and medical support units.