Congresswoman Sherrill Questions DoD Redundancy at Southern Border
Washington, DC -- At her first House Armed Services Committee hearing, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill questioned the redundancy of active component service members deployed this winter to the Southern border to help with capabilities that could be fulfilled through the Department of Homeland Security.
The following is a partial transcript of Congresswoman Sherrill's questions to Department of Defense Under Secretary of Defense Policy John Rood.
Congresswoman SHERRILL: Under Secretary Rood, it is my understanding that our troops at the border are providing the following capabilities: stringing concertina wire as we've heard, planning assistance, engineering and aviation support, medical teams, command and control facilities, mobile surveillance camera operations, and temporary housing and personal protective equipment for CBP personnel. Are any of these missions, missions that the DHS or contractors for the DHS not provide?
Under Secretary ROOD: Well the starting point of course, Congresswoman, is that DHS making an assessment that their organic capabilities need augmentation and therefore they are making a request to the Defense Department for support to civil authorities, so that is the triggering event. Obviously the Department of Homeland Security, CBP and others such as helicopters, and medical personnel in addition to the Defense Department. But depending on the circumstances they've made a determination that their assets -- and we work with them to try and develop an understanding of the mission need -- that their assets were insufficient by themselves to meet that need, hence they've made a request for assistance.
Congresswoman SHERRILL: So they've made the determination that their assets were insufficient. Were they given sufficient assets, could they undertake those missions?
Under Secretary ROOD: In a general sense yes, for example, some of the helicopter support that DOD has provided -- I assume if they had sufficient rotary wing support they could have met that mission need themselves.
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