More Intelligence and Engineering Troops to Deploy to Southern Border

Around 9,600 U.S. troops are now assigned or scheduled to deploy to the southern border, according to the Northern Command.

U.S. soldiers monitor a known border crossing point along the Rio Grande River in Brownsville, Texas, on Feb. 25, 2025. Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Sveen/U.S. Army

More than 600 U.S. troops, drawn from units with intelligence gathering and engineering capabilities, are preparing to join expanding military operations along the southern border.

The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), on March 11, announced that some 40 U.S. Air Force intelligence analysts and another 590 U.S. Army soldiers have been selected for an upcoming deployment.

Around 2,500 U.S. troops were assigned to assist federal border security efforts before President Donald Trump took office in January.

Since the inauguration, the Trump administration has significantly expanded the U.S. military contingent assisting in border security efforts.

In his first week in office, Trump ordered around 1,500 more troops to the U.S.–Mexico land border, and the Pentagon has gradually begun to select additional units to provide capabilities for the Department of Homeland Security there.

With this latest selection of military intelligence and engineering personnel, NORTHCOM assessed that around 9,600 U.S. troops are now deployed or scheduled to deploy to the southern border.

Northern Command noted the exact troop levels are likely to fluctuate as some military units eventually rotate off the border and as plans are finalized for new units to deploy to assist in further operations.

The intelligence airmen who were selected for this latest border callup were pulled from active and reserve Air Force units.

They will be assigned to Joint Intelligence Task Force-Southern Border, a multi-agency component that’s already begun to provide video monitoring, network analysis, and Spanish language translation capabilities for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Office of Intelligence.

The engineering troops were drawn from the Army Corps of Engineers and the 18th Airborne Corps.

Personnel were specifically selected from the 20th Engineer Brigade from Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 687th Engineer Company from Fort Johnson, Louisiana; and the 19th Engineer Battalion from Fort Knox, Kentucky.

NORTHCOM, in a press statement, said the engineering units would be tasked with an assortment of engineer duties, along with other planning and coordinating efforts needed for the ongoing border security operations.

“Specific engineer missions will be determined after the units reach the southern border area,” it said.

Earlier this month, Northern Command announced that around 3,000 troops from an Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team and an Army General Support Aviation Battalion had been selected for other border security operations.

NORTHCOM said the Stryker brigade troops would provide administrative, logistical, vehicle maintenance, and engineering capabilities for the border security mission, while the aviation personnel would be able to help move personnel, equipment, and supplies and conduct aerial medical evacuations as needed.

Northern Command has not specified precise timelines for either of these two most recent border deployments.

When reached for comment on March 12, a military spokesperson declined to specify how the latest border deployments are proceeding, citing operational security concerns.