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The Alaska Army National Guard has announced its preparation for a potential early 2025 deployment to assist with U.S.-Mexico border control efforts.
According to a statement, “a memorandum from the federal government had been issued, directing Alaska forces to prepare two LUH-72 Lakota helicopters and 20 guardsmen to potentially be deployed in early 2025,” as stated by Alaska National Guard spokesperson Alan Brown. This move aims to bolster aviation support for U.S. Customs and Border Protection amidst increasing border security concerns.
Maj. Ryan Wierzbicki of the U.S. Army’s Joint Task Force North elaborated on the deployment’s flexibility, stating, “Alaska guard members could be sent to any of four states along the border, including Texas and Arizona. Federal requests for states to provide border assistance are issued regularly and have become routine.” This deployment, carried out under “Title 10 duty status,” signifies the federal government’s financial responsibility and the minimal discretion allowed to Governor Mike Dunleavy in refusing the request.
The announcement clarifies the distinction between this federal initiative and Operation Lone Star, a Texas-specific border control effort. Jeff Turner, a spokesman for Governor Dunleavy, emphasized, “the planned mobilization had nothing to do with Operation Lone Star.” Despite prior deployments under Trump’s administration and Dunleavy’s criticism of current border policies, this mobilization focuses on federal directives rather than state-led initiatives. Speculation and anticipation surround the deployment’s implications and logistics.
House Speaker Cathy Tilton reflected on the complexities, noting, “There’s some complications with how it’s funded… There’s a federal funding issue, there’s a state funding issue. It’s still kind of unclear what that’s going to look like.”
