In the evolving landscape of U.S. border security, military support has played a role in assisting law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking and illegal activities along the southern border. From the establishment of Operation Alliance and Joint Task Force 6 (JTF-6) in the late 1980s to the formation of Joint Task Force-Southern Border at Fort Huachuca in 2025, these initiatives demonstrate changes over the years to securing the nation's borders through military and intelligence collaboration.
Established in 1986, Operation Alliance emerged as a coordinating center for border security efforts, operating out of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Its mission was to support Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in countering the flow of narcotics across the U.S.-Mexico border. The initiative was also responsible for administering the Southwest Border High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, providing a framework for cooperation among agencies with designated drug enforcement roles.
However, law enforcement agencies lacked the manpower and technological resources to effectively monitor and disrupt smuggling operations. Recognizing this gap, the military stepped in to provide support through Joint Task Force 6 (JTF-6), a multiservice command established in 1989 under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. JTF-6 played a role in detection and monitoring, deploying military units to conduct observation and reconnaissance operations. JTF-6 was later renamed to JTF-North in 2004 and covers all of USNORTHCOM’s area of responsibility.
Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) was activated on March 14, 2025, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The JTF assumed the role of synchronizer of several USNORTHCOM activities and military forces from Joint Task Force-North (JTF-N) and is responsible for full-scale, all-domain operations. Joint Task Force-North will continue their core mission of detecting and monitoring threats from transnational criminal organizations.
Elements of 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., and 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, GA, are some of the assigned units to U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) for the Joint Task Force. A team of 140 intelligence personnel has been integrated to provide:
Full-motion video analysis
Counter-network analysis
Spanish language translation
This week, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) announced the approval of 400 additional service members to deploy as part of its border security mission. These deployments will bring the total number of troops deployed or scheduled to deploy to approximately 10,000. The newly assigned personnel include intelligence analysts from the Air Force active and reserve components. Additionally, engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Army 18th Airborne Corps will conduct tasks such as planning, coordinating, integrating, and executing engineer operations.
Units from 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will provide several MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones with airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
In response to President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” the Department of Defense (DoD) has strengthened collaboration with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This joint effort is aimed at filling critical capability gaps, including ground-based detection and monitoring, information analysis, and transportation and supply chain support
Efforts have extended to binational cooperation with Mexico. In February 2025, General Gregory M. Guillot, Commander of U.S. Northern Command, met with General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Secretary of National Defense of Mexico (SEDENA), to enhance security coordination. The result was a Joint Statement of Understanding, outlining coordinated patrols on both sides of the border, enhanced information sharing, and improved methods for immediate communication between U.S. and Mexican forces.
