DOW Support to the Southern Border

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducts sling load operations near El Centro, Calif., March 3, 2026. The sling load operations were required to move materials from the mountainous areas along the southern border after 11,700 miles of concertina wire were built.

Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Samuel Sosa, left, and Sebastian Robles, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, operate a boom lift to replace concertina wire during barrier reinforcement operations in Nogales, Ariz., May 15, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Allen Tomb, left, and Dylan Lindsey, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, weld prefabricated brackets onto the southern barrier during reinforcement operations in Naco, Ariz., May 20, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border extend concertina wire for barrier reinforcement operations in Naco, Ariz., May 20, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Luke Smith, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, provides security along the southern barrier as part of barrier reinforcement operations in Nogales, Ariz., May 15, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border stand in a line to board a UH-60 Black Hawk during a simulated casualty evacuation exercise near San Ysidro, Calif., May 20, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Rey Gonzalez, left, and Terence Hall, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border near El Centro, Calif., May 21, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Carter Gil, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, launches a Skydio X10 small unmanned aerial system to maintain situational awareness along the U.S.-Mexico border near El Centro, Calif., May 21, 2026.

Soldiers participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold, France, May 24, 2026, to honor War World II's fallen. The cemetery contains more than 10,000 American soldiers killed in combat, the second largest number of American burials in Europe.

A soldier assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," helps place U.S. flags at every gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 21, 2026. The effort was part of "Flags In," an annual tradition before Memorial Day to honor the nation’s fallen heroes.

An Army Green Beret places a rose on a memorial stone during the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)'s rose-laying ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 20, 2026. The ceremony honored 60 heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation.

A Run, Honor, Remember 5K participant places an American flag inside one of more than 7,500 combat boots at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 16, 2026. The annual display honors service members lost since Sept. 11, 2001. More than 2,000 soldiers, families and community members participated in the event.

In preparation for the Memorial Day observance, a facilities maintenance employee hangs a U.S. flag at the Memorial Amphitheater, Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 18, 2026.

Army Spc. Kincaide Bunfill, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, uses binoculars to monitor the barrier near Bisbee, Ariz., as part of Operation Strike Kraken, May 7, 2026. Monitoring cartel scout sites, maintaining a ready posture to defeat enemy drones and ensuring shared communications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection are the operation's key tasks.

Marines assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border install triple-strand concertina wire using boom lifts during barrier reinforcement operations in Douglas, Ariz., April 17, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Avery Lindberg, left, and Cpl. Sergio Garcia, both combat engineers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, position triple-strand concertina wire from a boom lift during barrier reinforcement operations in Douglas, Ariz., April 17, 2026.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christian Koch, a combat engineer assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, uses a tie gun to secure triple-strand concertina wire during barrier reinforcement operations in Douglas, Ariz., Friday, April 17, 2026.

Marine Corps Pfc. Conner Kammerer, left, and Lance Cpl. Noah Hardon, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, depressurize a fuel gravity flow nozzle to ensure safe equipment storage after refueling 5-gallon jerry cans for barrier reinforcement operations along the southern border in Douglas, Ariz., April 20, 2026.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Viadoy Nicolas conducts preflight inspections on a CH-47F Chinook helicopter at Libby Army Airfield, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., April 16, 2026. Nicolas is assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, which provides unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Army Sgt. Jimmy McCain, a 114th Aviation Regiment soldier assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, aims the Wingman and Pitbull counter-small unmanned aerial system toward a drone during a joint training exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, April 9, 2026.