| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| Guard units on border to be allowed to have and use weapons |
| 2006-05-27 |
| The head of the U.S. National Guard surprised Border Patrol officials, declaring some of the troops he will send to assist them will work in close proximity to the border, be armed and allowed to fire their weapons if necessary. "Any soldier assigned to a mission where he would be placed in harm or danger, where his life would be threatened potentially, will in fact be armed and will have the inherent right of self-protection," Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum told the San Antonio Express-News Thursday. Federal troops are scheduled to begin deployment to the four states on the Mexican border next week once the Guard and the Defense Department approve the memorandum of understanding that will define the mission's parameters. The document will also require signatures from the border governors. Representatives from the National Guard and the offices of the governors of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California have been meeting in Phoenix this week to craft an agreement on the use of force. The talks have focused on "harmonization" of the different states' laws on self-defense and the use of deadly force, said Texas National Guard commander Army Maj. Gen. Charles G. Rodriguez. The rules of engagement "will be the same in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas," said Blum. Let's hope they follow more closely to the Texas or Arizona rules than the California ones. Troops stationed at vehicle inspection stations and engineers working along the border could be armed, said Blum, with M-16s, 9-mm handguns and Border Patrol spokesman Todd Fraser expressed surprise that the Guard would be carrying out surveillance operations in close proximity to the border, saying his understanding was that troops would work in support roles repairing and maintaining Border Patrol vehicles, manning remote-surveillance cameras and giving agents advanced firearms training. "As far as I know, a National Guard unit deployed along the border, right on the line, that's not a scenario I had heard about," said Fraser. You should read Rantburg more often. When told that Guard troops working as entry identification teams and engineers along the border would be armed and would not be required to wait for someone else to shoot at them first before using their weapons, Fraser termed the rule "silly." It's only fair to let the criminals get the first shot in, after all. Idiot. "If [a Guardsman] has to fire, he has a right to fire," Blum said. "There are judgment calls that have to be made by mature, disciplined soldiers, and I'm confident that these soldiers have the discipline, the training, and the experience and judgment to make the proper call or we wouldn't be employing them in this mission." Too bad Mr. Fraser doesn't seem to get it. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #6 Todd Fraser needs to be sent out for bugers and get lost on the way, forever. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-05-27 23:27 |
| #5 Best news I've heard today. M16s are more than adequate for daily missions. If some foolish Federales decide to take potshots, I'm sure we could vector some Apaches in there within 20 minutes to suppress any kind of activity. The MSM and lefties in general will be shocked to see how a few armed troops wil completely stop the flow in any sector they operate in. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-05-27 19:17 |
| #4 I still think rotating a couple of MAGTF units from Camp Pendleton/Yuma would be more efficient (plus they have a LOT more weapons to use than the NG). Marines might tend to think of the Border as an 'Inner Perimeter', something that NOTHING will cross. Their 'Outer Perimeter' might include the 31st Parallel. The bad guys' lives would get extremely 'complicated'. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2006-05-27 17:37 |
| #3 Todd Fraser seems to be the type that will seek a court ruling to require an OK from Mexico to allow armed N Guard troops. Meanwhile, the Minutemen are building their own fences in AZ on private land. The plot thickens. |
| Posted by: Inspector Clueso 2006-05-27 16:24 |
| #2 bout time they put some common sense into this shit |
| Posted by: Greamp Elmavinter1163 2006-05-27 14:38 |
| #1 The first time Spc snuffy pots a You just thought the noise from the left and the donks over Iraq was bad before...this is threatening a main constituency. Ear-plug time. |
| Posted by: N guard 2006-05-27 14:28 |