Governor Brewer's Border Security Plan
Plan Focused on National Guard Actions, $10 million in Support of Local Law Enforcement in the Arizona Border Region
Governor Jan Brewer today announced her plan to secure the southern border by unveiling a strong, responsible, and detailed plan of action.
“The federal government has failed in its obligation and moral responsibility to secure our border,” said Governor Brewer. “A government’s principle responsibility to its citizens is to provide safety and security. States have never been expected, even in prosperous economic times, to sustain the national defense of our borders. With the resources we have today, I am doing everything within my power to ensure and promote safety for our citizens along our southern border.”
Governor Brewer’s Border Security Plan calls for additional covert National Guard reconnaissance, increased National Guard aerial patrolling, annual National Guard military exercises conducted in regions along the border, increased economic and logistical support for local law enforcement, and improved border county interaction and federal agency partnership. The Governor’s plan also calls for substantial expansion of the Joint Counter Narco-Terrorism Task Force (JCNTF).
The Arizona National Guard has been directed by Governor Brewer to create additional “Nighthawk” ground surveillance capability within the JCNTF. The additional personnel performing “Nighthawk” will result in an estimated 150 additional missions per year. Personnel will continue to increase as federal funding becomes available. Additionally, Governor Brewer has directed an increase to current helicopter aerial surveillance operations, estimating an increase of 70-80 additional missions through September. These missions will be coordinated with law enforcement to ensure the effectiveness of the substantially increased aviation support.
The Governor sent a request to President Barack Obama seeking the approval of an additional 250 National Guard personnel for the JCNTF to support federal, state and local law enforcement drug interdiction efforts, beyond the current 140 Arizona National Guard members currently participating in JCNTF.
Governor Brewer has also directed $10 million of discretionary federal stimulus monies to local law enforcement grants for the border, for a program entitled the Border Security Enhancement Program (BSEP). Governor Brewer’s stimulus funds have been fully committed for job creation, education, and public safety. BSEP will provide flexible grants to allow local and tribal law enforcement to propose ways to augment existing border security efforts. Governor Brewer will host a meeting shortly with local law enforcement leadership to provide details about the BSEP.
The Governor and her Border Security Cabinet are supportive of the border plan announced recently by Arizona Senators Kyl and McCain. However, state officials await specific details regarding the deployment of the force proposed, the missions to be performed by the proposed 3,000 additional personnel and the ways in which the additional personnel would be coordinated with law enforcement entities.
National Guard Actions
1. Joint Task Force Expansion: Asked the President to approve funding for an additional 250 National Guard personnel for the Joint Counter Narco-Terrorism Task Force (JCNTF) to support federal, state and local law enforcement drug interdiction efforts.
2. Additional Covert Reconnaissance: Directed Arizona’s Adjutant General, Major General Salazar, to create additional "Nighthawk" ground surveillance capability within JCNTF, using existing resources. This action will result in an estimated 150 additional missions per year.
3. Increased Aerial Patrolling: Directed Major General Salazar to augment current JCNTF OH-58 helicopter aerial surveillance operations by reprioritizing/reprogramming existing funds for additional flight hours. This effort will allow for an estimated 70-80 additional missions through September.
4. Additional Aviation Support Request: Request the President to provide additional surveillance and support pilots and aircraft (primarily OH-58 and LUH-72) to Arizona. Arizona’s existing aviation resources are insufficient relative to the challenges and length of Arizona’s border with Mexico.
5. National Guard Funding: Continue advocating for additional federal funding for the National Guard. The Governor’s role on the President’s Council of Governors should aid in this effort.
6. National Guard Priorities: Reprioritize and continue to shift JCNTF resources/personnel to the southern region for Nighthawk or sensor/camera room support of law enforcement (versus intelligence support). Emphasis for replacement personnel will be in southern Arizona, and any future growth in JCNTF will also be shifted to the southern region.
7. Border Security Training:
a. Focus: Issue a more formal order that, where appropriate, Arizona Army National Guard (AZ ARNG) units conduct required annual military training in southern Arizona, with specific missions and support to be determined/developed in coordination with the US Border Patrol and the JCNTF.
b. Future Border Security Training Plans: Reexamine all unit annual training plans for FY11 to identify any and all possibilities of having military police, infantry and engineer units conduct Annual Training in southern Arizona in order to enhance border security while concurrently training on unit core competencies.
Support for Local Law Enforcement
1. Border Security Enhancement Program: Redirected $10 million of the Governor’s discretionary stimulus monies allocated for local law enforcement to the new Border Security Enhancement Program (BSEP). The program will provide flexible grants designed to allow local and tribal law enforcement to propose ways to augment existing border security efforts.
2. Interaction with Local Law Enforcement: Governor Brewer will host a meeting with law enforcement personnel next week to provide details about the BSEP and answer any questions or concerns. She has also directed the Directors of the Departments of Public Safety and Homeland Security to regularly meet and interact with law enforcement officials serving along the border.
3. Department of Public Safety Missions: Directed the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Robert Halliday to:
a. Border County Support: Begin developing plans in the event that Border Counties request additional law enforcement assistance from the State.
b. Federal Agency Partnership: Engage with federal law enforcement to determine how DPS can more effectively partner in efforts to stop the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons and aliens across the border. Governor Brewer is prepared to request deployment of DPS personnel to areas having the greatest need.
Support of Proposed Federal Actions by Senators Kyl and McCain
Governor Brewer is pleased that there are now signs of life in Washington regarding the federal responsibility of border security. She is supportive, overall, of the border security plan announced recently by Arizona’s United States Senators, and wholeheartedly endorses the proposal to increase Operation Stonegarden allocations for all southwestern Border States and the additional resources for federal Department of Homeland Security responsibilities.
Regarding the other components of the plan, she would offer the following perspectives:
1. Additional details on the deployment of the proposed force, the missions to be performed by the proposed 3,000 additional personnel, and the ways these additional military efforts would be coordinated with law enforcement entities will be useful in determining how the plan can complement existing efforts in Arizona.
2. Unlike Operation Jump Start from the past, Soldiers and Airmen should be in a position to support not just federal law enforcement agencies, but also state and local efforts. As she has previously mentioned, the ability to sustain a force of any size requires federal funding. Governor Brewer remains very concerned about attempting any major deployment of troops using only State Funds.
