NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nearly 50 Guardsmen with the 168th Military Police Battalion recently completed a yearlong deployment to the U.S. southern border.
For the past 12 months, these Tennessee National Guardsmen were headquartered at the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector near Edinburg, Texas, where they supported U.S. Customs and Border Protection in detecting, monitoring and helping apprehend individuals conducting illegal border crossings.
“Our Soldiers did a phenomenal job, and I am incredibly proud of them,” said Lt. Col. Robert Crowley, commander of the 168th. “Their professionalism during this deployment represented the best of those who serve in the National Guard.”
Mobilized on Oct. 13, 2024, the Tennessee Soldiers first traveled to Fort Bliss, Texas, where they conducted additional training and preparation for the deployment. After a few weeks, they were assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector and became responsible for managing more than 300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of Joint Task Force-North, which later became Joint Task Force-Southern Border.
“We were one of the largest National Guard battalions with this mission,” Crowley said. “We were responsible for command and control of more than 600 Soldiers from National Guard units in Alabama, Florida and South Carolina, as well as active-duty forces.”
Over the next year, the Tennesseans helped U.S. Border Patrol agents and the Department of Homeland Security disrupt cartel activity, deter drug and human trafficking, assist with criminal apprehensions, and implement a counter-unmanned aerial systems program that deterred criminal drones from operating within the United States.
“When we first began this mission, we primarily supported the U.S. Border Patrol by focusing on maintenance, training support, and detection and monitoring,” said Crowley. “Soon after arriving along the border, our focus shifted primarily to detection and monitoring, which included patrolling, providing counter-UAS support, and roving teams that monitored increased traffic areas.”
When the 168th first arrived, the sector they operated in averaged about 700 detections of illegal crossings per week. By the end of their deployment, detections had dropped to about 50–70 per week, many of which led to apprehensions or turnbacks to the Mexican side of the border.
“I can’t stress enough how proud I am of all the hard work our Soldiers, and the ones we worked alongside with, accomplished over the last year,” Crowley said.
Once their mission was complete, the 168th Soldiers began returning home at the end of October. In phases, groups of Soldiers first reported to Fort Hood, Texas, where they completed out-processing before flying home to Tennessee. The final group of Soldiers arrived home Nov. 24.
“We’re all really excited to be home, just in time to celebrate the holidays,” Crowley said. “These Guardsmen truly represented everything that is great about Tennessee.”