DOD Support to the Southern Border

Army Spc. Rosa Ibarra participates in free fall rappel training under the supervision of Chilean army mountain instructors during Exercise Southern Vanguard 25 in Antuco, Chile, Aug. 14, 2025. The exercise underscores the Army's enduring commitment to regional partnership as U.S. forces deploy to Chile to conduct combined mountain warfare, field and command post training alongside Chilean forces, with participation from Argentina and Peru.

Competitors representing the Army's I Corps conduct an 18-mile ruck march during U.S. Army Forces Command's Best Squad Competition at Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 13, 2025. The competition tested squads across the command on physical endurance, tactical skills and teamwork.

Army Sgt. 1st Class. Rylan Lavatto, left, and Capt. Mohamed Elmaola, both assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, review their communication capabilities with the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense at DeConcini Port of Entry, Nogales, Ariz., Aug.12, 2025.

Army Pvt. Dawson Mace, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, installs a 1/2-ounce wheel weight on a tire at U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Headquarters, Texas, Aug. 15, 2025.

Army Sgt. Deidre Fennell, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, reinstalls a tire on an all-terrain vehicle at U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Headquarters, Texas, Aug. 15, 2025.

Army 1st Lt. Brennan Liu, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, secures concertina wire to an obstacle along the southern border near Sunland Park, N.M., Aug. 16, 2025.

Army Pvt. Alexander Letroadec, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, secures concertina wire to an obstacle along the southern border near Sunland Park, N.M., Aug. 16, 2025.

Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border construct an obstacle along the southern border near Sunland Park, N.M., Aug. 16, 2025.

District of Columbia National Guard soldiers stand watch in support of Joint Task Force District of Columbia during the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission in Washington, Aug. 16, 2025. Guardsmen are positioned at key locations throughout the city to provide a visible security presence alongside law enforcement partners.

U.S. and Panamanian forces ruck to the combined jungle orientation course site at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panama, Aug. 16, 2025. The pilot course integrates jungle instructors and trainees from both nations.

Army Sgt. Sloan Kanat, a member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, participates in a Chicago Air and Water Show event in Chicago, Aug. 15, 2025.

A soldier assigned to the 273rd Military Police Company, District of Columbia National Guard, guides a Humvee to a convoy as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force mission in Washington, Aug. 14, 2025.

Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, center, receives an operations brief on the expansion of National Guard support for the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force at the D.C. Armory in Washington, Aug. 17, 2025. The task force is supporting district and federal partners in safeguarding property and ensuring government functions.

A soldier assigned to the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force speaks with members of the public outside Union Station in Washington, Aug. 16, 2025. National Guardsmen are positioned at key locations throughout the capital to provide a security presence alongside law enforcement partners.

Army 1st Lt. Crystal Absher, left, and Sgt. Jashmon Rana became part of a small community of highly skilled Army medical professionals after earning the Expert Field Medical Badge at Fort Polk, Aug. 11, 2025.

District of Columbia National Guard soldiers are positioned around Washington, Aug. 14, 2025, as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The D.C. National Guardsmen provide critical support such as crowd management, presence patrols and perimeter control in support of law enforcement.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jose Padilla congratulates a soldier at a bonfire celebrating the completion of a spur ride at Camp Reedo, Estonia, Aug. 11, 2025. The spur ride is a time-honored tradition passed down through generations of U.S. Army cavalry units, where soldiers complete a rigorous series of events to earn the right to wear silver spurs.

Army Staff Sgt. Erica Marroquin, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, conducts a foot patrol with U.S. Border Patrol agents near Del Rio, Texas, Aug. 11, 2025.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border move to preidentified grid locations in the Yuma National Defense Area during a signage emplacement mission in Yuma, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2025.

Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan Bush and Cpl. Jesse Benavides, both assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, place a Yuma National Defense Area sign in Yuma, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2025.