Hegseth Gives Order to Enhance Military Mission at Southern Border

Published March 25, 2025
By C. Todd Lopez

Service members assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border have a new directive: conduct patrols.

Two people wearing camouflage uniforms walk down a dirt road as the person on the right points to a large wall with concrete pillars and barbed wire at the top.

Until now, the U.S. military mission at the southern border has been static. Service members have been engaged mostly in stationary detection and monitoring activities. But no longer.

On March 20, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order allowing service members involved in the mission to do more and conduct their mission on foot or onboard Stryker armored vehicles.

"Conducting patrols, either on foot or mounted, creates a more proactive and adaptable posture compared to static posts," said Army Maj. Jennifer L. Staton, a Defense Department spokesperson. "The dynamic approach of patrolling allows service members to cover a larger area of the border, affording them dynamic observation across multiple angles and distances."

Being mobile, Staton said, also adds an element of unpredictability for those considering illegal entry into the country. Knowing soldiers are on the move makes it harder to plan movements or cross locations.

Two people wearing camouflage uniforms stand alongside a large military vehicle with a mountain range in the background.

Staton said while troops involved in the border mission will now be more effective with monitoring and detection, they are still not participating in law enforcement activities.

"Service members will not detain or apprehend individuals attempting illegal entry," she said. "Instead, they will relay all observations of illegal crossings directly to [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] for response and enforcement."

Earlier this month, the Pentagon deployed a Stryker brigade combat team and a general support aviation battalion to the border. About 6,600 active-duty personnel are operating as part of JTF-SB, including 4,400 from the SBCT, 650 with the GSAB, and about 1,600 Marines and soldiers who deployed to the border in January 2025.

"Their deployment underscores the department's unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States under President [Donald J.] Trump's leadership," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said earlier this month.