"Promises kept" has been one of the themes of the new Trump administration, and there was more than a hint that another slogan might be emerging--at least at the Pentagon--with the announcement on Saturday of the US military beginning to beef up forces at the border with Mexico. I'll get back to that stirring phrase later.
The Washington Post broke the story, reporting on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's approval of the deployment in the coming weeks of up to 3,000 troops--and some unique machinery along with them:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered about 3,000 active-duty troops to the southern U.S. border, including soldiers from a motorized brigade equipped with 20-ton armored Stryker combat vehicles, defense officials familiar with the effort said.
The defense secretary approved the orders Friday, said two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal Defense Department planning. The soldiers are primarily from the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, and will be joined by soldiers specializing in engineering, intelligence and public affairs, the officials said.
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About 2,400 soldiers will deploy with the Stryker brigade and an additional 550 will go will [sic] with the aviation unit, said another defense official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. A handful of others will join them.
The Department of Defense shared the news in a statement via its X account on Saturday:
Hegseth has ordered the deployment of a Stryker brigade combat team and a helicopter unit to “reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” the statement said.
The troops will arrive in coming weeks, underscoring the Defense Department’s “unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territory integrity, and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership,” the statement added.
The move by the Pentagon comes after the number of illegal border crossings has dropped significantly since Pres. Trump has returned to office, and Border Czar Tom Homan continuing to work hand in hand with ICE and other agencies on rounding up criminal illegals across the country:
Read related: Illegal Border Crossings Plummeted in January - More So After Inauguration Day
Here's a little more about those Stryker combat vehicles, and where the troops might make use of them, according to the Washington Post story linked above:
Stryker vehicles — a lightly armored attack vehicle carrying up to 11 soldiers and typically equipped with a machine gun or grenade launcher — have been used in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The Strykers are likely to be transported to the border by rail and truck, after earlier discussions included the possibility of a road march from Fort Carson, one of the officials said. Army officials see it as useful for the soldiers to continue training with the vehicles while deployed to the border. The vehicles will be sent to Arizona and also could appear in other states, the official said.
During his trip to the southern border with Homan in February, Hegseth made a promise to the Mexican drug cartel leaders: "All options are on the table. We will secure our border and all our men and women guarding it, and we're proud to be here."
And as the DefSec wrote on a repost on Saturday of the DoD X post, the mission is so clear and concise, you could fit on a bumper sticker: "100% OPERATIONAL CONTROL" of our nation's sovereign border:
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