Back to the Border

James Carafano / May 25, 2010

The President has announced he plans to send up to 1,200 troops to the border with Mexico, a move that prompts many questions.

Sending troops to the border makes sense, when it makes sense—in other words, if it is an appropriate, effective, and efficient use of military manpower. In 2006, President Bush sent over 6,000 troops to the border to assist in the build-up of the Border Patrol. Some National Guard units routinely deploy to the border in support of state and federal authorities as part of annual training duties.

Whether this announced deployment fits into the category of makes sense is difficult to tell. There are few details available. In addition, in terms of the overall security of the border it is difficult to see how these forces would make a strategic difference. The border with Mexico is almost 2,000 miles long. The US government already has over 20,000 border patrol agents. Given that many soldiers in a military unit are support and command personnel and the unit has to operate 24 hours a day (requiring shift work), at best the deployment of 1,200 will a few hundred soldiers on the border at any one time. (more…)