Opposition To Trump’s Border Agenda Lingers Within Pentagon; As Hegseth Takes Charge at the Pentagon, Here’s What Changes Could Be In Store

Opposition To Trump’s Border Agenda Lingers Within Pentagon:

Certain legal obstacles complicate the use of troops within the U.S., creating a reluctance to engage in homeland missions

By electing President Donald Trump, voters told public officials they want a remedy to the disastrous southern border. Trump and his team got to work on day one with a flurry of executive orders aimed at illegal immigration, including engaging the military and National Guard at the border. Before his first week was out, troops were sent to the border with a promise from the Department of Defense (DOD) that more will be sent.

But an element of opposition to Trump’s border agenda lives within the DOD, according to a CNN report.

“The Trump administration asked the military earlier this week to be prepared to deploy up to 10,000 active duty troops immediately, setting off a scramble inside the Pentagon,” an official and another person familiar with the matter told CNN. “Military officials have pushed back on that because they believe that sending so many troops to the border at once could pull them away from other mission requirements elsewhere in the world and strain resources, the first official said.”

It is a troubling sentiment considering the DOD has a history of misleading Trump. In 2019, DOD officials told Trump the troop count in Syria was around 200 when it was closer to 900, Jim Jeffrey, former U.S. special representative for Syria engagement, said in 2020 interview with Defense One.

The DOD should be building trust with the new administration, not eroding it in background conversations with CNN that cast doubt on the DOD’s commitment to complete the border mission.

Despite this, and challenges unique to homeland deployment, the military has responded noticeably to Trump’s executive order, “Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States.” The order gives the military 10 days to deliver a plan for how it will seal the borders and maintain U.S. sovereignty.

Beyond a written plan, it acted immediately. U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) reported some 1,500 active-duty personnel from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps were deploying to the southern border in the first week, to augment the approximately 2,500 service members already deployed to support Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) southern border mission.

USNORTHCOM is the DOD’s operational lead for using U.S. military forces to carry out Trump’s orders. It has begun a 30-day planning effort.

“U.S. Northern Command is aggressively bolstering security at the southern border,” Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, USNORTHCOM commander said in a statement. “For initial actions, Soldiers and Marines are immediately deploying to seamlessly integrate with forces already along the border and working together with the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. In a matter of days, we will have nearly doubled the number of forces along the border, effectively implementing the president’s intent while planning and posturing for expanded efforts to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States.” —>READ MORE HERE

As Hegseth takes charge at the Pentagon, here’s what changes could be in store:

When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth starts his first official day on Monday morning, he will face a daunting array of issues to tackle — from global conflicts and border security to administrative tasks.

At the top of his list is addressing President Donald Trump’s priority to strengthen the U.S. military presence along the southern border and reviewing whether active-duty forces should be used for law enforcement — something done rarely.

Dozens of other issues will compete for his attention, including developing the Pentagon’s massive budget, decisions about aid to Ukraine, support for the ceasefire in Gaza, troop deployments in the Middle East. Not to mention Trump directives to rid the federal government of diversity programs and personnel as well as moves to cut waste and remove any lingering Biden administration backers.

In a message to the force shortly after he was sworn in Saturday, Hegseth cited the challenges he sees ahead. Some are ones his predecessors also faced, such as reorienting the military from decades of a Mideast focus and better deterring China. Continued conflict in the region, including the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, has made that shift impossible to execute.

Hegseth also told service members about other priorities, including strengthening the defense industrial base and getting the Pentagon to pass an audit, while ensuring that the U.S. remains “the strongest and most lethal force in the world.”

He made an unannounced stop to the Pentagon on Saturday after the swearing-in ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. There was no media coverage of his arrival. The Pentagon later released an official photo saying Hegseth was “ready to get to work on behalf of America’s warriors.”

Already, support staff have been meeting with military leaders, including Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But Hegseth will get to experience what many describe as “drinking from a firehose” as he works to quickly get up to speed on what his 2.1 million service members and 780,000 civilians in the department are doing. Among them are tens of thousands serving overseas, including in combat zones.

Then there are the cultural issues that Hegseth railed on as a media personality that did not make it into Hegseth’s message to the military. Many expect they will surface in the coming days.

Here are some key issues that Hegseth, who was confirmed in a tiebreaking vote Friday by Vice President JD Vance, will face right away:

Border deployments

In trying to meet Trump’s demand of securing the border, Hegseth will face a barrage of information about what troops are available, what assistance the Border Patrol needs and where, as well as how to house, feed and transport the troops and border personnel and how to ensure none of this affects other national security requirements. —>READ MORE HERE

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