Pentagon is awaiting a new request from the Department of Homeland Security to increase the number of the troops on the border after Trump indicated he would
Donald Trump said Friday he wanted more troops along the southwest border
The Pentagon is awaiting a request for extra troops, with 3,900 active duty forces and 2,100 National Guardsmen already serving on the southern border
Pentagon official said there were discussions over how best to utilize the troops
The discussions included the prospect of the military building and managing tent cities to house migrants across two locations
By ROD ARDEHALI
DAILYMAIL.COM
13 April 2019
The Pentagon is awaiting a fresh request for more troops on the border after Donald Trump issued a statement on Friday of his intentions to reinforce the southwest area.
A top Pentagon official said there were ongoing discussions over how troops would be utilized, including the prospect of the military building and managing tent cities to house migrants across two locations.
There are currently 3,900 active duty forces and 2,100 National Guardsmen serving on the southern border in separate missions supporting Customs and Border Protection officials.
Patrick Shanahan, the Acting Defense Secretary, has previously said he expects an increase in U.S. military support to the Pentagon.
‘It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we would provide more support to the border,’ Shanahan said.
‘Our support is very elastic and given the deterioration there at the border you would expect that we would provide more support.’
Despite the expectations, Shanahan said the Pentagon had yet to receive a formal Request for Assistance’ (RFA) from the Department of Homeland Security.
‘But we’ve been having a number of conversations with DHS,’ Shanahan told ABCNews.
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