Awesome! Fantastic news...every mile is fought for, every mile appreciated. Replacement is replacing 4’ of junk metal with a tall bollard wall so don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t count! Real fence anywhere always counts!
No plans for my area yet though one segment is headed my direction- but I am cheering because I know how hard it is to come by and every foot makes this country and our people more secure!
“No plans for my area yet”.
1. Hundreds of potential miles from the DoD funding have yet to be designated. Those plans have not been publicized yet, and might even change before being finalized.
2. As you point, Real fence anywhere always counts! It will free up resources to better patrol unfenced or poorly fenced areas.
3. More personnel are in the plan.
4. Technology program rollout does come with the barrier, but they are also rolling out in places without barrier. Like barrier, this is the biggest year by far for technology deployments.
For example, although they don’t yet have a barrier award, the whole border through the Tohono O’odham Reservation in Arizona is getting permanent mast-mounted fixed camera installation. Software can monitor all those cameras continuously, and alert the humans reliably. That is a game changer, and it is only one of the technology programs rolling out. Something like that might be coming to cover your sector already.
The major muscle movements of strengthening the border really start this year, and should be well felt next year.