Rep. Carbajal Questions Military Official on Southern Border Troop Deployment

China and Russia's Influence in South America

• 🇨🇳 China is successfully expanding its military and commercial interests in South America through initiatives like the Belton Road initiative.
• 🇷🇺 Russia is also negotiating with South American governments to build influence.
• 📉 The US foreign aid has been significantly reduced, weakening its soft power and allowing China and Russia to gain influence.

Southcom's Strategy and Soft Power Initiatives

• 🤝 Southcom uses security cooperation and joint exercises to build interoperability, trust, and capability with partner nations.
• 🏥 Initiatives like the Lamont exercise provide medical procedures and surgeries, while the USNS Comfort will offer treatment to thousands in multiple nations.
• 🚨 Trade Winds exercise focuses on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, building partner resilience.
• ❓ Admiral Holsey confirmed that diminishing soft power does make the mission more challenging.

Special Forces and Surveillance Programs

• 🛰️ The special forces tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking program provides crucial intelligence.
• ✅ Admiral Holsey supports continued investment in this program due to its past assistance.

Military Deployment at the Southern Border

• 💂 Over 6,500 troops are stationed at the southern border, not for detention activities, but in support of Customs and Border Protection.
• ✈️ Their roles include providing unique military capabilities such as airborne ISR and surveillance of coastlines.
• 🔭 Approximately 90% of active forces are involved in detection and monitoring using advanced systems to identify illegal crossings.
• 🚓 Once detected, military personnel vector in border patrol or law enforcement for apprehensions.

Duration of Border Deployment

• ⏳ The return of troops to their families and primary jobs is likely to be measured in years, not months.
• 📈 Initial results of sealing the border have led to a significant decline in detections, incursions, and apprehensions, with numbers 90-97% lower than before executive orders were issued.
• ⚠️ The need to ensure the border remains sealed through seasonal impacts and migration cycles necessitates this extended deployment.