SAN DIEGO, - To gain a broader picture of operations on the Southwest border, Army Maj. Gen. Peter M. Aylward, special assistant to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, visited all four border states last week, saving California for last.
After crossing Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Aylward was joined here on Sept. 15 by Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ellsworth, director of the California National Guard Joint Staff and standing joint task force commander for domestic support from California Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in Sacramento, Calif.
Joint Task Force Sierra leadership escorted Aylward and other officials to Border Patrol Sector Headquarters in Chula Vista, Calif., to learn about and discuss every facet of the mission.
Briefings from task force leadership detailed the number of troops on the ground as well as the reserve individuals trained and ready to be added to the mission if needed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials then showed a video about the extensive work done in San Diego County during the last decade.
Finally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents explained how military criminal analysts are being added to their intelligence data processing mission.
After the briefings, Aylward flew on an AStar AS350 helicopter used by CBP to see the different land and coastal locations, where California National Guard troops are stationed to act as additional eyes and ears for Border Patrol agents.
Later he visited scope sites in the San Ysidro Mountains and spoke to entry identification team members about their day-to-day mission.
“The whole purpose of coming out here, frankly, was to look the commander and the Soldiers in the eye and tell them how really important it is what they are doing for this nation, what they are doing for our colleagues at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – what it really means to this mission set,” Aylward said while visiting a scope site and speaking with the troops who man the site 24 hours a day. “I’m impressed by the morale, the training that they’ve gone through and the way they’ve conducted themselves across the board.”
Task force leadership also brought the generals to armories so they could see the daily work environment for the Soldiers and Airmen who act as support personnel for the entry identification team and analysts in the field.
“It’s extremely important to have open communication and for key leadership to actually see what’s happening on the ground,” said Army Col. William “Rudy” Arruda, Joint Task Force Sierra commander. “The visit made for a good exchange of information, opened better communications between the four border states and opened avenues of exchange [with the National Guard Bureau].”