Summary: By direction of Secretary of Defense and in coordination with U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), approximately 4,000 California Army National Guard soldiers were placed under federal command and control in a Title 10 status. Additionally, approximately 700 Marines are augmenting the force. All are serving under the command of Task Force 51 (TF 51).
TF 51 is U.S. Army North’s Contingency Command Post. It is commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman.
The mission of TF 51 is to protect federal personnel conducting federal functions and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area. They can and have accompanied ICE on missions, but they are not a part of the operations. Title 10 forces do not do law enforcement functions. They protect; they don’t participate.
As of today, approximately 2,800 service members are deployed to the greater Los Angeles area. This includes:
- 2,100 National Guard soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who are actively deployed.
- 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division
- ~2,000 to be identified National Guardsmen in Title 10 status
Status of the 700 Marines.
The Marines will be employed seamlessly alongside the National Guard forces in Title 10 status, who also comprise TF 51. Their activation and inclusion in the task force was intended to provide adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the Lead Federal Agency.
The Marines have completed required training and will be employed by TF 51 within the next 48 hours conducting the same missions being performed by the National Guardsmen in Title 10 status.
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines had just completed a pre-deployment work-up. They are a ready battalion – a battalion recently trained and certified in all their mission essential tasks. When called up for this mission, the battalion underwent additional training specific to this mission. This training included de-escalation, crowd-control, and understanding the Standing Rules for the Use of Force (SRUF). Training was both academic and practical.
In addition to the training, the battalion is augmented with legal and law enforcement expertise.
Title 10 forces do not conduct civilian law enforcement functions. Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties. Any temporary detention will end immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel.
The Soldiers and Marines have contracting for billeting, latrines, showers, handwashing stations, food service, full laundry service, bulk ice, and bulk fuel. While awaiting fulfillment of the contract, Soldiers and Marines have adequate shelter, food, and water.