Donald Trump stunned Washington when he declared his support for militarizing the border.
Pundits immediately began speculating how the military would follow through.
But that all came to an end when James Mattis made the big announcement every Trump supporter was waiting for.
When Trump pronounced that he was ordering the National Guard to assist in securing the border, Washington insiders speculated as to how he would fulfill this promise.
That answer arrived swiftly when the Pentagon announced the creation of a special cell to carry out this mission.
Breitbart reports:
“The Pentagon announced on Thursday it was standing up a new cell to support President Trump’s activation of National Guard troops along the U.S. border with Mexico.
“This is not business as usual. The cell will last for the foreseeable future to make sure we surge our capacity to meet the president’s enhanced border security goals,” said Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White.
The establishment of the cell comes after President Trump announced on Thursday he was activating the National Guard to support border security along the U.S. border with Mexico.
White said the cell would be led by Ken Rapuano, assistant secretary of Defense for homeland defense and global security, and be staffed with Defense Department policy staff and military officials from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
She said the cell will be “24/7” and will be the conduit between the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security as the two departments work together on border security.”
Trump flashed out this policy a bit more when he told reporters he believed 2,000 to 4,000 Guardsmen would be sent to the border.
CNN reports:
“President Donald Trump said Thursday he was considering sending “anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000” National Guard troops to the southern border, applying the first figures to his surprise announcement this week that military forces will be deployed to bolster security.
Trump said the administration is still looking at how much the deployment might cost, but that he has a “pretty good idea.”
And he insisted the troops would remain there until his proposed border wall is complete.
The remarks answered, at least in part, several outstanding questions about the deployment plan, which Trump first announced on Tuesday.”
Trump has maintained his base because he continues to follow through on his campaign trail promises.
And sending troops to the border until the wall is built will signal to his supporters that he is serious about his pledge to crackdown on illegal immigration.
We will keep you updated on any new developments in this story.
