Is the following report connecting Operation Jump Start with the global war on terrorism? 15 Arkansas Guard will be scheduled for “duration” duty up to two years.–gm
Ashley County Ledger
July 6, 2006
Nine Crossett Guard Members to Help Patrol Border
CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Ark.–The 39th Brigade Combat Team of the Arkansas Army National Guard has accepted the initial call to provide approximately 200 soldiers to support Operation Jump Start on the nation’s southwest border. Included in the list are nine members of the National Guard unit based in Crossett.
Operation Jump Start is a support mission to the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP). Particular support activities will include: surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation (both air and ground), engineering and logistics.
Understanding the 39th has answered several calls since the global war on terror began, the guard was extremely compassionate in the selection of individuals to build the task force. Evaluating individual conflicts on a case by case basis led to the development of a task force of soldiers from units based in over 20 different communities in Arkansas. In total the 39th Brigade has units located in 42 communities in the southern two-thirds of the state.
The decision to draw the troops from the 39th Brigade was mainly derived from the fact that it was best suited for the mission. The troops are anticipated to be on the ground at the New Mexico border by mid July for a six month rotation.
“We will be activating specific units of the 39th Brigade Combat Team in order to select the talent needed for the mission,” said Colonel Don Cronkhite director of military support for the Arkansas National Guard. He added that a small group of airmen from the Air National Guard will be tapped for their specific skills as well.
The Arkansas soldiers and airmen will be broken into two groups, the first will be part of a six month deployment to the border area in New Mexico and Texas. The second group of only about 15 individuals will be part of a “duration force” that will stay in New Mexico for up to two years. The duration force personnel are more aligned with command and control positions for the overall force such as career fields like personnel, medical and finance.
By the end of July, the Arkansas Guard will have 1700 troops mobilized for overseas missions in support of the global war on terror, with up to 300 anticipated stateside in support of Operation Jump Start on our nation’s southwest border.
The chief of the National Guard, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, announced that the National Guard currently has 2,500 Army and Air Guard members in the four southwest border states supporting Operation Jump Start.
General Blum said, “The National Guard Bureau is committed to this mission and appreciates the strong support of the states’ leaders in allowing the Guard to accomplish the 2,500 goal. Progress to date is real and the Guard’s efforts are making a positive difference in this national effort.”
Over 800 soldiers and airmen with the Arkansas National Guard are currently mobilized in the global war on terrorism. These, however, are the first mobilizations from the state for Operation Jump Start.
Texarkana Gazette
De Queen Guard unit heading for the border
Thursday, July 6, 2006 9:49 AM CDT
27 soldiers will be gone six months
By JIM WILLIAMSON
Texarkana Gazette
DE QUEEN, Ark.—About 27 soldiers from Charlie Company of the Arkansas Army National Guard will deploy to the Mexico-New Mexico border as part of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Operation Jump Start.
The unit is stationed in De Queen.
About 200 soldiers from 24 Arkansas communities will deploy to New Mexico. Mena’s unit will supply the most soldiers with 37, and De Queen will send the second most.
The soldiers will report this weekend for processing in De Queen and will arrive in New Mexico July 10-15 to support Customs and Border Protection with surveillance and reconnaissance.
The De Queen soldiers will be stationed in New Mexico for six months; they should return in mid-January.
The soldiers will be a part of 6,000 National Guardsmen deployed to the southern border states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas as part of Jump Start.
The Customs and Border Protection’s mission is to secure borders and the Border Patrol’s security strategy.
Guardsmen will have no direct law-enforcement role in arresting or securing anyone making illegal border crossings. They will provide surveillance and logistical support, freeing Border Patrol agents to concentrate on border security.
Guard personnel will also operate detection systems, provide mobile communications and assist border-related intelligence analysis.
They will build and install border security systems and provide transportation and training.
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