FORT CARSON, Colo. : Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force bases will be deploying troops in support of President Trump’s U.S. Customs and Border Patrol initiative.
According to a release, the following military units have been identified as heading to the southwest border.
·Fort Carson, Colorado
·Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
·Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
·Peterson Air Force, Colorado
·Joint Enabling Capability Team and Aviation Planner from U.S. Northern Command
As part of “Operation Faithful Patriot” troops will be assisting with things like planning, engineering, transportation and medical support. They’ll be assisting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol as they work to keep a caravan of migrants from crossing the border.
While on the Mountain Post Wednesday, Secretary of the Army, Dr. Mark Esper, was asked how things like Operation Faithful Patriot at the border will impact readiness goals for the Army.
“We get missions all the time. It’s something we have to manage and I think we’ll manage it well,” Esper said. “Provided there’s no major disturbances in funding, or major external events, like a war, I think we’ll hit our readiness goals in time and we’ll transition to our modernization goals.”
As far as the number of troops being sent, this number will change daily as forces head into operating areas. The initial estimate from the Department of Defense says more than 7,000 troops will supporting DHS across the states of California, Arizona, and Texas.