FORT BLISS, Texas — Joint Task Force-Southern Border, a newly-announced headquarters element from the 10th Mountain Division, assumed control of the southern border mission on March 14, 2025.
“This is an important step in the whole-of-government efforts to seal the southern border and maintain U.S. sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). “Joint Task Force-Southern Border will lead as both the synchronizer of all joint capabilities and the land force commander for USNORTHCOM as we conduct operations on the southern border, building upon the excellent foundation set by Joint Task Force-North.”
The transfer of authority from Joint Task Force-North to Joint Task Force-Southern Border aligns efforts under a single, joint task force, allowing for more effective and efficient Department of Defense (DoD) operations.
Mission
Following President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” the DoD has made protecting the southern border its top priority. It also supports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in ensuring 100% operational security.
The mission is to conduct all-domain operations to control the U.S. southern border in support of CBP to protect the territorial integrity of the United States.
Joint Task Force-Southern Border is being activated to provide command and control for forces that are not aligned to support the Joint Task Force-North mission set. Joint Task Force-North will return to its core mission of countering transnational criminal organizations. Joint Task Force-Southern Border will execute USNORTHCOM’s full-scale, agile and simultaneous multi-domain operations.
All Title 10 service members previously assigned to Joint Task Force-North, tasked to support the southern border mission, have been realigned under Joint Task Force-Southern Border. Title 10 is a federal authority that allows the President to order members of the National Guard and Reserve to active duty for federal-level missions.
The changes in organizational structure and manning impact the capability of DoD support to DHS, but the scope of support remains consistent. Specific tasks include but are not limited to detection and monitoring; warehousing and logistical supply chain support; transportation support; vehicle maintenance; training support; data entry support; aviation support; military engineering support; and intelligence analysis support. This assistance provides DHS and CBP additional capabilities to conduct their law enforcement mission more efficiently and to support efforts to manage border security and immigration processes.
The establishment of Joint Task Force-Southern Border will pair an organic Army unit with a legacy of success leading units worldwide with augmentees from all the services to form an experienced, agile, and technologically capable command that will allow us to leverage unique military capabilities in support of DHS.
Action
Joint Task Force-Southern Border oversees subordinate units across the 2,000-mile border from San Diego, California to McAllen, Texas.
Approximately 500 service members from the 10th Mountain Division will support this mission at Fort Huachuca, the headquarters for Joint Task Force-Southern Border. In total, approximately 10,000 service members now support the southern border mission.
Other units tasked with supporting the southern border mission include the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division; 101st Division Sustainment Brigade; 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command; 90th Sustainment Brigade; 89th Military Police Brigade; 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division; and 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
Before the emergency declaration, 2,500 service members had already been supporting the border mission. Within the past 60 days, support has grown by approximately 7,500 troops.
Some units are relocating along the border to accommodate this growth. Rather than having incoming units placed within the existing unit’s area of operations, Joint Task Force-Southern Border is realigning the responsibilities of subordinate commands. These moves allow command elements to operate in adjacent regions and limit geographic disbursement while maintaining command and control over a shorter radius.
Moving 2,500 service members, their belongings, and their equipment requires a significant logistics operation. These moves coincide with incoming unit arrivals and require coordination to ensure a proper hand-off to units assuming responsibility for an area. While the effort to conduct these moves is significant now, it will improve efficiency once established. During these moves, Joint Task Force-Southern Border continues to supports CBP throughout this transition.
The transfer of authority to Joint Task Force-Southern Border and subsequent increases in capabilities deployed to the southern border showcase that the DoD is committed to working with DHS to achieve and maintain full operational control of the border.
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