On the Southern Border of the United States: Threats and Opportunities in an Economy of Force Theater

The 2,000 mile Southwest border of the United States can be described as an "economy of force" theater where the threats are relatively unknown, and are therefore addressed on an ad-hoc basis through the deployment of forces for limited durations and purposes. The Department of Homeland Se...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Terstegge, Stephen D.
Other Authors: NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Sociology and Law
Military Forces and Organizations
Civil Defense
Unconventional Warfare
*NATIONAL GUARD
*THREATS
*MANPOWER UTILIZATION
*COUNTERTERRORISM
*HOMELAND SECURITY
*MEXICO
*BOUNDARIES
MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES)
COOPERATION
TERRORISM
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
MISSIONS
LAW ENFORCEMENT
MILITARY CAPABILITIES
*BORDER SECURITY
*SOUTHWEST BORDER
*BORDER DUTY
DHS(DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY)
TRANSNATIONAL THREATS
NORTHCOM(US NORTHERN COMMAND)
SECURITY COOPERATION
NORTHCOM
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA470728
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA470728
Description
Summary:The 2,000 mile Southwest border of the United States can be described as an "economy of force" theater where the threats are relatively unknown, and are therefore addressed on an ad-hoc basis through the deployment of forces for limited durations and purposes. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) needs Department of Defense (DoD) help to be successful in combating transnational threats to the homeland. However, with increasing demands on land forces for combat operations abroad, NORTHCOM cannot adequately fulfill its homeland security role with the forces or capabilities needed to successfully deter growing threats coming from regions south of the border. At the same time, NORTHCOM is faced with the challenge of initiating enhanced security cooperation with Mexico to address common threats, such as militarized cartels. Therefore, an analysis is needed of potential threats south of the border, the authorities for the employment of DoD forces there, and realistic planning considerations for the Southwest border of the United States. In consideration of these factors, the author concludes that National Guard units are best suited for duty on the Southwest border. National Guard units can be tailored to the tasks and missions of securing the border, rather than the current paradigm of suiting tasks and missions to the units that may become available for this purpose.

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