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US Army troops enter an enclosure where the army erects a camp near the border between the American border and Mexico, in Donna, Texas, on November 6, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Cullen / AFP / Getty Images)
Dan Lamothe
Reporter covering the Pentagon and the US Army
The Pentagon ordered US military commanders to stop calling for the deployment of troops on active duty at the southern border Operation Faithful Patriot, a name criticized by critics for openly political as President Trump played the role of pretentious Republican .
The decision was upheld Wednesday after the midterm elections, and the name of the military operation would not be immediately known.
"We do not call the operation loyal Patriot," said a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Jamie Davis. "We are talking about border support. I have nothing left for the moment.
A second Pentagon spokesman, Chris Sherwood, said the mere fact of calling the military operation "border support" is a "more precise description" because the Department of Homeland Security is overseeing it. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said the directive was issued by the office of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on polling day. He sought to protect the military from politics with mixed results.
The operation has been criticized by some retired generals, who claim that she unnecessarily throws the army into politics. Trump has attempted to characterize migrants traveling north through Mexico from Central America in a "caravan" as an "invasion" of the United States. In fact, the group would be composed almost entirely of families that can legally request asylum at border entry points.
The operation, announced on October 29, supports the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection. The Pentagon tried to point out that it had only a supporting role, while the president had suggested that the army would face the migrants at the border.
Army Colonel Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday that the administration had specifically requested that active duty members be deployed for the operation. The Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal armed forces from participating in most law enforcement missions in the United States, limits their capabilities. About 5,200 soldiers on active duty should be involved in Faithful Patriot by Monday.
The army has already deployed the US military at the border, but not in so many active soldiers in a century. More generally, units of the National Guard, which operate under the authority of the state, are expected to provide support.
The US military has released dozens of photos and videos in recent days at the border service, including Tuesday the Air Force Chief Terrence O. Shaughnessy, chief of the US Army. US Northern Command, assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. as part of the operation. To date, the Pentagon has not allowed any independent media to cover operations and provide a more complete account of what is happening.
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