Guardsmen to Deploy to Southern Border

Obama Administration officials announced Monday that up to 1,200 National Guardsmen, including both soldiers and airmen, will deploy to the southern border areas of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to support law enforcement officials protecting the border with Mexico. This mission is expected to last one year. Gen. Craig McKinley, National Guard Bureau chief, told reporters in the Pentagon Monday that “by September, we should have our full forces in the field working with our partners.” The Guardsmen will not have a direct law enforcement role, but rather serve in supporting functions like criminal investigative analysis. McKinley said they will be armed and authorized to defend themselves. He said no overseas deployments are affected by the border duty. (NGB report by Army SSgt. Jim Greenhill) (McKinley-Bersin-Morton transcript) (See also AFPS report by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden and Fox News report.)