SAN ANTONIO – Joint Base San Antonio is staging at least 1,000 active duty troops as part of Operation Faithful Patriot.
The local base is one of five Texas military and naval bases chosen to serve as a Base Support Installation. Others include Fort Bliss, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Naval Operations Support Center Harlingen and Naval Air Station Kingsland.
This first wave of troops will help the Department of Homeland Security with U.S. Customs and Border Protections as caravans approach the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Secretary of Defense has approved troops to help with certain missions:
- Military planning teams
- Use of helicopter companies to support movement of tactical personnel
- Engineer battalions to build temporary fencing and vehicle barriers
- Deploy medical units to treat patients
- Temporary housing
- Use of light towers, barrier materials and barbed wire
- Provide meals
Several bases in California and Arizona are also serving as installation hubs. It’s unclear when troops will be deployed.
The caravan is less than 1,000 miles from the border.