National Guard officials said they are willing to step up efforts
on the U.S. government’s “war on drugs,” even
though the effort has faded from many radar screens during the chaos
and fury of the “global war on terror.”
“The Department of Defense’s number-one priority is
terrorism, so we have to adjust and gear counter-drug operations
toward that priority,” said Air Force Col. Earl Bell, chief
of the Guard’s counter-drug programs.
Bell’s division plans to become more involved in anti-narcotics
missions and coordinate federal and local law enforcement efforts.
Among the priorities is to fuse intelligence between the military
and other agencies, and launch pilot projects at federally designated
“high intensity drug trafficking areas,” including the
southwest U.S. border.
“The Guard has to become a catalyst for synchronized operations
and cooperation,” said Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief
of the National Guard Bureau. “An unprecedented collaboration
between agencies at the local, state and federal level will build
a support authority capable of being proactive, not reactive, to
the war on drugs.”
About 2,500 soldiers and airmen are now involved in the Guard’s
counter-drug program, which was formed in 1990. Operations range
from providing air support for police raids to visiting elementary
schools.
Military efforts overseas have overshadowed these operations, officials
said. Funding has been on a steep decline in recent years and more
than 1,300 positions have been cut since 1999. “Previously,
the Guard has waited for a call to action and dutifully fulfilled
those requests,” said Bell. “Now we may need to emphasize
exactly what we can offer other agencies and work together more.”
Department of Defense officials have repeatedly defended the military’s
role in counter-narcotics missions by linking drug money with international
terrorist networks.
“Narco-terrorism is truly a threat to our security at home,”
said Blum. “The National Guard will be an important player
in this fight against it.”