Operation Jump Start was a plan to aid U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), announced by President George W. Bush in May 2006. It included the deployment of United States National Guard troops along the Mexico–United States border. The mission entailed enforcement of border security and construction of a border fence. The rules of deployment were defined in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between officials in the Department of Defense and the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas as well as Mexico.
National Guard members involved in the operation were not involved in actual law enforcement activities due to the political aspect of the US military on the US/Mexico border. They were supporting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Border Patrol agencies with administrative, observational and intelligence gathering capacities, and civil engineering projects. By taking over these functions from the USC&BP, they freed up sworn agents to field units.
Military operations with Operation Jump Start were primarily to observe and report. The military was armed with the M-16/A2 or M-4 lightweight, air-cooled, gas powered, assault rifle and an option to carry an M-9 pistol. Many of the areas of operation (AORs) were in desolate locations; some locations were so remote that troops were sometimes flown in by helicopter. The US military set up entry identification team sites (EITs), also known as observation points / listening points (OPLPs), to spot undocumented aliens (UDAs). Some of those locations were equipped with forward looking infrared (FLIR) systems or the ARSS ground based radar system. The other main purpose of the National Guard presence was the creation of the border fence. Even though many of the areas did not receive fencing because of their remote location, the fence provides a significant barrier against illegal passage into the United States. The ROE for the operation was very restrictive and only allowed escalation to lethality when met with an equal amount of force from another.
There were many times when US military personnel were targeted with force, mostly rocks and the like but occasionally small arms fire. Drug trafficking as well as weapons and human trafficking, were impacted by the additional eyes and ears provided by the National Guard.
Communications for Operation Jump Start was primarily by VHF repeated radio similar to that of law enforcement agencies but was also supplemented by long haul satellite radio (MSAT). The communications was updated in 2007-2008 to allow for digital communication and further reach-back capability. The repeater team as they were called consisted of a small team of highly trained individuals who climbed tall towers to change antennas, replaced repeater equipment from mountain tops, and replaced radio equipment in vehicles and hand held units for BP agents.
On 15 July 2008, Operation Jump Start officially came to an end. At its peak there were as many as 6,000 soldiers and airmen on the mission with more than 29,000 from every state and territory. More than 176,000 UDAs were apprehended, more than 1,100 vehicles seized, more than 321,000 pounds of marijuana and cocaine were seized, National Guard pilots logged more than 28,000 hours of flight time for aviation assistance, and more than 19 miles of road, 38 miles of fencing and 96 miles of vehicle barriers built and close to 720 miles of road repaired. The total cost was close to 1.2 billion dollars.
In 2008, the award of the Armed Forces Service Medal was authorized for National Guard forces deployed to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California to assist the Department of Homeland Security with securing the southwest U.S. border.
In May 2010, President Barack Obama began a new chapter in the border mission calling once again on National Guard (army and air) troops, but this time only calling those troops in the border states for the mission. As of this time, there has been no mention of what the new border mission will be called.
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