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Approximately 8,500 military personnel attached to Joint Task Force Southern Border continue to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection's ability to identify, track and disrupt threats to security at the southern border, the Defense Department announced today during a press conference at the Pentagon.
Since being established in March of this year by U.S. Northern Command, the task force has conducted more than 3,500 patrols, including more than 150 that were jointly carried out with CBP and the Mexican military, said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.
"The strong partnership and coordinated efforts between the Department of Defense and Customs and Border yielded exceptional results between June 28 and June 30, , with zero 'gotaways' across the entire southern border during that timeframe," Parnell announced.
He added that the U.S. has made "incredible progress," and it will continue to work toward achieving 100% operational control of the border.
In addition to the task force's successful patrols, Parnell said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently directed the secretaries of the Navy and Air Force to establish a pair of national defense areas along the southern border.
The Air Force will be responsible for the South Texas NDA, which will encompass federal property on and along 250 miles of the Rio Grande River.
The Navy will control the Yuma NDA, which encompasses approximately 140 miles of federal property along the U.S.-Mexico border near the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range in Arizona.
"These will be the third and the fourth designated national defense areas along the border and will continue to enhance the department's ability to protect the southern border from unlawful entry," Parnell said.
The first two NDAs established by the DOD earlier this year are in New Mexico and West Texas.
Parnell also noted that the National Guard continues to play an essential role in protecting the U.S. southern border from illegal entry and maintaining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States.
He said over 4,200 guardsmen are on state active duty in support of Operation Lone Star, and an additional 70 guardsmen are on state active duty, conducting base camp security at the recently established "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades.
In addition to supporting border security efforts, Parnell said that approximately 5,000 military personnel, comprising California National Guardsmen and roughly 700 Marines, are currently mobilized to protect federal functions, personnel and property in the greater Los Angeles area.
"These federalized California National Guard and U.S. Marines have supported more than 170 missions in over 130 separate locations from nine federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security," he said.
In other military personnel news, Parnell provided an update on DOD's recruiting efforts, stating that both the Air Force and Space Force have hit their fiscal year recruiting goals three months ahead of schedule.
"Enthusiasm to serve is at an all-time high," he said. "Since November 5, 2024, the U.S. military has seen the highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in 30 years."
Parnell said the department recently established a task force to sustain the strong spike in recruiting efforts and numbers in the future, adding that he credits the leadership of Hegseth and President Donald J. Trump for generating excitement among young Americans to serve.
"Leadership matters, and certainly, their leadership and moral clarity as it pertains to certain issues — not just here within the department but all around the world — has inspired people to want to join and serve this country in great numbers," Parnell said.
