DOD Support to the Southern Border

Soldiers carry signs and posts to mark the New Mexico National Defense Area along the southern border near Cloverdale, N.M., May 24, 2025.

Soldiers prepare to hook a container of supplies to a CH-47 Chinook as part of a training exercise at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas, May 22, 2025. The sling load training is preparation for missions along the southern border to prevent illegal activity.

Coast Guardsmen conduct operations in the North Atlantic Ocean, May 19, 2025. Navy assets deployed under Northern Command's maritime homeland defense authorities are performing interdiction missions to prevent illegal activity along the southern border.

A Texas National Guardsman installs concertina wire on Defense Department land in Harlingen, Texas, May 19, 2025. The barrier is meant to deter people from illegally crossing the border with Mexico.

Soldiers position a post for a New Mexico National Defense Area sign near Antelope Wells, N.M., May 20, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force Southern Border aligns efforts to seal the border and prevent illegal activity.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Guard form a security barrier during an exercise at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, May 20, 2025. The training, led by soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo, improved coordination and reinforced standard operating procedures for rapid troop movements.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Guard conclude an exercise with soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, May 20, 2025. The service members executed defensive posturing and airlift operations to strengthen integrated force projection.

Soldiers install signs marking the New Mexico National Defense Area along the southern border near Deming, N.M., May 15, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force Southern Border aligns efforts to seal the border and prevent illegal activity.

Army Staff Sgt. Ernesto Nevarez scans terrain with a night-vision device near Santa Teresa, N.M., May 15, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force Southern Border aligns efforts to seal the border and prevent illegal activity.

Soldiers pilot CH-47 Chinook helicopters at Libby Airfield, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., May 10, 2025. Aviation crews are monitoring the southern border as part of Joint Task Force Southern Border.

An Army UH-60 Black Hawk carries U.S. soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, along with members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Arizona state police during a mirrored aerial patrol with the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense along the southern border near Nogales, Ariz., May 7, 2025. Mirrored patrol operations, with each military force in its respective territory, have led to favorable results in reducing the illegal flow of people across the common border and drug trafficking. These coordinated actions demonstrate the strong understanding and collaboration between both armed forces, aimed at ensuring security along the shared border for the benefit of the U.S. and Mexico.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale fires an MK 45 5-inch gun during a live-fire exercise in the Pacific Ocean, May 10, 2025. The Stockdale is employed under U.S. Northern Command's maritime homeland defense authorities with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment embarked to enable maritime interdiction missions to prevent the flow of illegal drugs and other illegal activity. Northcom is working with the Department of Homeland Security to provide additional military forces and capabilities at the southern border.

Army Spc. Ethan Carrigan assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion under Joint Task Force Southern Border, conducts a joint patrol alongside Border Patrol agent Ricardo Booth near Chula Vista, Calif., during a mirrored patrol with Mexican soldiers, May 7, 2025. U.S. service members and Mexican Army and National Guard personnel under the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense are joining forces to carry out mirrored patrol operations, with each military force in its respective territory, which has led to favorable results in reducing the illegal flow of people across the common border and drug trafficking. These coordinated actions demonstrate the strong understanding and collaboration between both armed forces, aimed at ensuring security along the shared border for the benefit of the United States and Mexico.

Navy Lts. Joshua Leonard, seated, and Harry Porter conduct preflight checks on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely while underway in the North Atlantic Ocean, May 13, 2025. Navy assets are deployed under U.S. Northern Command's maritime homeland defense authorities with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment embarked to enable maritime interdiction missions to prevent the flow of illegal drugs and other illegal activity.

Navy Seaman Bao Nhan performs routine maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter in the hangar bay of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely in the North Atlantic Ocean, May 13, 2025. Navy assets are deployed under U.S. Northern Command's maritime homeland defense authorities with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment embarked to enable maritime interdiction missions to prevent the flow of illegal drugs and other illegal activity. Northcom is working with the Department of Homeland Security to provide additional military forces and capabilities at the southern border.

Army Spc. Nicholas Brewer, assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, conducts a joint patrol alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents near Chula Vista, Calif., May 7, 2025.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jayson Flores, a rescue swimmer assigned to the USS Gravely, recovers a simulated casualty during a man overboard drill in the Gulf of America, May 5, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border and carry out President Donald J. Trump's executive orders on protecting the territorial integrity of the United States.

Sailors assigned to the USS Gravely participate in a man overboard drill to maintain readiness in the Gulf of America, May 5, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to provide additional military forces and capabilities at the southern border.

A sailor jumps into the water during a man overboard drill in the Gulf of America, May 5, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border and carry out President Donald J. Trump's executive orders on protecting the territorial integrity of the United States.

Army 2nd Lt. Tyler Seidel dismounts from his vehicle during joint patrols with Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Ariz., May 6, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, the task force aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity and is responsible for full-scale, agile and all-domain operations.