The point of putting military on the border is to do something about border security now! There is not enough civilian law enforcement trained, equipped, and ready to guard a border. We've got troops guarding borders in other nations right now that could be here instead. Do we really need troops in Germany guarding the Fulda Gap from invasion by the Soviets? The military stays until civilian law enforcement and National Guard can be ramped up to take over. Military should still offer some assistance after that as necessary.
This is truly the role of the National Guard. We should NOT be deploying National Guard units to foreign operations. Their design is to guard the homeland and its borders, not to be deployed elsewhere.
Ah. It's not about actually doing something effective--it's just about looking like something is being done.
There is not enough civilian law enforcement trained, equipped, and ready to guard a border.
Actually, there is. It's just horrendously misallocated.
Do we really need troops in Germany guarding the Fulda Gap from invasion by the Soviets?
No, which is why we're moving them to Eastern Europe.
The military stays until civilian law enforcement and National Guard can be ramped up to take over. Military should still offer some assistance after that as necessary.
1. If that's your proposed CONOPS, they will always somehow be "necessary."
2. If you make an army into a border patrol, you will discover that, when a war breaks out, that you will have to send a border patrol to do an army's job.
Nope, the National Guard is the state Militia, controlled by the Governor, to defend his state, from all attacks, including those of the federal government. Remember state's rights?
As governor, (1930)"Alfalfa" Bill Murray challenged the oil industry, newspaper interests, and the state of Texas. To enforce his programs he relied on the National Guard. During his tenure as governor, he called out the guard forty-seven times for duties ranging from policing ticket sales at University of Oklahoma football games to patrolling the oil fields and guarding the Red River Bridge. It was truly said that he "fought the depression with the National Guard".