This pic was on Breitbart and a number of websites. Don't know who took it, but it looks as if they set it up to look like PDJT is being hung. Not funny.
He’s been talking about this wall for years.
In the words of Colon Kapernick: Just Do It!
From day one, I have recommended that Trump order the Army Corps of Engineers build the Wall. This ain’t rocket science. US STEEL is cranking up steel production, and with EPA standards relaxed, cement production can be cranked up. The Pentagon could hire civilian contractors to fill the GI personnel shortage on the project.
Could call it “training” for the military construction folks to hone their skills in a hostile environment.....if I weren’t so old, I’d re-up and join them in the effort.
Well, not so simple. Okay, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a Headquarters, a construction company without organic assets to do much of anything. They design, the let contracts, they oversee construction, they pay the man, they accept the product. A construction Contractor in the complete sense of the term.
They have no organic military engineer units assigned to them- by law. They must use civilian assets to do construction in the US-otherwise the construction economy would be threatened- some lobbyists decades ago arranged that. The Corps then offers contracts to civilian organizations to build stuff. That requires funds, funds come from a budget- see the picture et?
Okay, the military engineer assets (Army & Marine Corps): combat engineers have limited construction capability- key word is “combat”- we break things, we build force protection stuff, even in theater, we contract civilians to build stuff, budget again.
Military/Naval General Construction Capabilities: SeaBees and USAF Redhorse ( rapid runway repair) and Prime Beef (general construction) units- well, some more general construction assets and capabilities, but very limited in numbers. Four battalions of RedHorse, if my memory is right, and 7 battalions of SeaBees.
The only two things ever already paid for in the military sense of things is pay and allowances, and operations and maintenance. Add a task that requires stuff, and back to the budget bucket line you go.
While the military, if funded, could build a barrier wall, they are not the most appropriate tool in the box.
Remember, all of these military and naval personnel have missions that they are either already doing, just finished doing or are prepping to go do. Operations tempo ( OPTEMPO) and personnel (PERSTEMPO) are still rather high, but of course the services would do whatever the CinC orders and FUNDS.
Wanna talk about who authorizes the FUNDING of the military? Yeah, Congress, just like the constitution says.
Next thought process- well, move military funds from already budgeted activities to fund the wall- well to remember that the laws of the land and constitution require spending of monies on what the were appropriated for. The rule of law thingy again. Either way, congress has to approve funding for the border security issue.
The American Citizen would be behind him. Hell, I would go help.
President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System not only as a transportation initiative, but also as a national defense project.
This pic was on Breitbart and a number of websites. Don't know who took it, but it looks as if they set it up to look like PDJT is being hung. Not funny.
If the Military spends money on the wall, they would first have to pick something in their budget to take the money away from.
Congress could simply deduct the amount spent from their next budget, leaving them unable to pay for whatever they took the wall money from.
So although the Military could execute the mission, they really would need the money from Congress, or it could hurt them badly elsewhere.
One significant exception that really is in play now, is that portion of the border under direct Military control - the Barry M. Goldwater Range in SW Arizona, which includes over 30 miles of International border.
Secretary of Defense Mattis is considering whether or not to pay for new Trump-style border barrier along that stretch - almost half a billion dollars.
My guess is that the decision will be delayed, until they see how the mid-term elections turn out.
The Tohono O’odham Reservation (Managed by the Department of the Interior) is not far from there, and accounts for a dis-proportionally high percentage of drug seizures. The Department of the Interior controls Indian Reservations, National Parks, and Bureau of Land Management lands along a lot of the border. Although not discussed in this article, the Department of the Interior could also build border barrier, if funded.
Have the Corps build stations and rail lines along the southern border. Stations would be used as housing and administrative offices for the Corps at first and DHS later. Rail lines provide a means of delivery for supplies, personnel, and equipment.
At a few of these stations, build a WWII style prison camp to house the illegals that we are going to send home. Offer to wipe clean the immigration record of anyone who completes X number of points. Points to be awarded for the completion of a compressed earth block used to build the wall and/or work camp support services such as laundry, cooking, etc.
In other words, use the labor of illegals to build the resources (blocks) needed to build the wall and to literally build the wall. All under the supervision of the DHS for security and Corps of Engineers for the wall itself.
Hear, hear. Get it done before 2020.
Trump should order the US Army to string concertina wire from coast to coast, and announce the following day that The Wall is complete. Then we can start talking about how to improve The Wall.