Ground Troops Replaced By Aircraft On US Border | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.29.24

Airborne-NextGen-04.30.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers--05.02.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.03.24

Mon, Dec 26, 2011

Ground Troops Replaced By Aircraft On US Border

Republicans Decry Cuts, But Aircraft Can Cover More Ground

National Guard troops deployed to patrol the southwestern US border with Mexico will see their numbers cut in January from the current 1,200 to about 300. Replacing them will be military planes and helicopters, according to the Arizona Republic.

The Pentagon reported announced the cost-saving strategy Tuesday, but President Obama is already under attack from Republicans for what they say is an inadequate presence to support the mission of the Border Patrol. The National Guard ground troops have been on duty there since June of 2010.

Representative Ben Quayle, an Arizona Republican, is the vice chairman of the House's border-security subcommittee. He credits a recent drop in illegal border crossings to a weak US economy, not major advancements in border security, as he says the administration has claimed. Arrests of illegal immigrants entering the US through Arizona reached a 17-year low in fiscal 2011, the year ending September 30th.

Going forward, National Guard helicopters and planes will augment the Border Patrol's current fleet of manned and unmanned aircraft. If spotters detect illegal activity, it will be reported to the Border Patrol.

Michael Lytle, a border expert at the University of Texas at Brownsville, says the shift in policy makes sense. "Intuitively, (aircraft) can get out in remote areas and cover a lot of areas. That is the upside of this. And if it does save us money, so much the better. And lastly, it shows the administration is still making the commitment to support these operations."

FMI: www.cbp.gov

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.02.24): Touchdown Zone Lighting

Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.02.24)

“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.03.24)

"We are reaching out to you today on behalf of the Popular Rotorcraft Association because we need your help. We are dangerously close to losing a critical resource that if lost, wi>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.03.24): UAS Traffic Management (UTM)

UAS Traffic Management (UTM) The unmanned aircraft traffic management ecosystem that will allow multiple low altitude BVLOS operations and which is separate from, but complementary>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.03.24)

Aero Linx: Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) SAFE is a member-oriented organization of aviation educators fostering professionalism and excellence in aviation through>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC